a.       "People don't know what they want -- they only want what they know"

 I think this quote is saying how society is only intrigued by the things that they have the most knowledge about, and this knowledge gained may or may not be facts. Marketers and businesses are big contributors to the knowledge gained by its consumers. By setting a good price and having good advertisement, marketers can shape and create consumer wants. There are people who would willingly go out of their way to buy an expensive name brand product rather than a cheaper store brand that is just as good, because of the good marketing done by businesses. Store brands and other unpopular brands don’t really promote themselves like name brand companies do, for this reason consumers have no knowledge of their material and it makes it less likely for them to buy their product. They only seek to buy the things they are aware of.

b.      Marketing will be helpful even if you don't pursue marketing as a career for many reasons. For example, even if you are not set on having marketing as a career, you will always be a consumer of different industries and possibly a worker/owner of an industry. Being an employee or an owner of a company it would be very helpful to have marketing skills. If you possess such skills, you will be capable of successfully communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for your customers. Being a consumer that has the understanding of marketing can also benefit you as well, so you can get the best out of the products you wish to buy.