Market Research is Important
Market Research, especially Customized Research, involves a lot of number crunching and basic statistics to begin with. Of course the first year involves a lot of stretching to ensure that a thorough learning of the basics is achieved in terms of sampling, questionnaire designing, etc. And a good eye for spotting trends/ patterns in data is a gift that comes naturally to some but most acquire it over time in the industry, so I would advice anyone who wants to start a career in market research to come in with an open mind and also keep up with the news related to their area all the time. As sometimes a big variation in data can stem from some internal activity a client might be performing for which the researcher should keep his eyes & ears open! Also to those who think market research is dead - "Market research ain't dead. It just needs to be woken up a bit! And every researcher can do his part in this!"