Navigating the World of Strategies, Trends, and Creativity
Growing Up:
Hi, my name is Abdul Altabchi. I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. My family immigrated to the United States from Syria. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood with next to no diversity was a bit challenging. The area I grew up in is 91% white (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). How does one keep their Identity while still fitting in? Will keeping my identity ever help me growing up? At work, in my social life, etc?
Sports:
One way I was able to hold onto my identity was through sports. I grew up playing sports. I even went on to play in college. Soccer taught me how to be tenacious, be myself, work as a team, and most importantly it taught me that differences are vital. Vital is honestly an understatement. A 6’3 center-back cannot do what a 5’7 left winger can do, and that’s good. Each person comes with different skill sets and abilities which are absolutely necessary in soccer and life. Companies and teams do not need players or workers who can do it all, they need people who can do it all. They need people who can do certain things. I would not want a CPA to run the social media page, and I would not want the marketer to handle the taxes.
Why I decided to study Marketing:
I personally love to travel. I want to live in many different countries in my life. I needed a career that is lucrative and will allow me to travel easily. If I went to medical school I would need to take tests for each country I want to live in. This would require me to potentially be forced to learn a different language. That is not such an easy task. That’s where I found marketing. Marketing is a lucrative career that requires no license to practice. I can go anywhere in the world and can provide value.
Lessons Learned:
I went to St. Joseph’s University for undergraduate school, and I am at New York University for graduate school. Although I am learning about marketing best practices, principles, and strategies, I have found that some of the best lessons have not come directly from the slides my professors have shown me. Back to what I learned from soccer, that is applied here. I do not need to be good at everything, I need to be good and passionate about certain things. I have also learned that my identity will drastically help a company that I am working for in marketing. Diversity isn’t about checking off boxes in a form, it’s about making sure you have people with different backgrounds to best promote your products and services. I am a Muslim Syrian American. If an American company wants to sell a product or service in the Middle East, I am well prepared to handle the messaging and culture of the region. That provides value to American companies. I want to work in Dubai in sports marketing. Their Soccer league needs to develop. A part of that development is expanding their current market to other parts of the world rather than just the Middle East. As an American, I would be very beneficial to the UAE Pro League, for example. My Identity provides value in Marketing and the lessons I have learned about teamwork through sports give me an edge in navigating the world’s strategies, trends, and creativity.
What to Expect:
Over the next 10 weeks, I will be giving my takes on various marketing topics. My takes will be fresh, unfiltered, and most certainly different. My experiences growing up have been so different from most people that my opinions are often drastically different from most people. You can also expect short and quick reads. I hope everyone has a great day and I look forward to writing for y’all soon!
References
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Worthington, Ohio. census.gov. Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/worthingtoncityohio/PST045222
