Communication has grown over the years with different methods to share information in this era. This has translated to communication being even more complicated since there’s a lot of information and information mediums to go through. All these are now easily accessible, which makes it a bit overwhelming.
With the saturation in the information industry, there are communication experts who believe their respective fields can serve as an outlet to reduce the noise. There’s a consensus that a degree in communications will help students understand and navigate the world of information. It will also help them establish careers in the various fields.
The skills that a student will learn while obtaining a degree in communication will be applicable to a number of roles. A lot of employees see communication majors as very employable. This is due to the fact that the degree is very versatile as skills learned can be applied to different fields.
What is a communication major?
This is an avenue to learn effective communication skills. Good communication is very important in every industry, helping to advertise products for sale, maintain relationships with clients, customers, and investors, and make sure everyone concerned with the business is on the same wavelength.
A degree in communications will create awareness of ways to effectively relay information to a diverse audience. Proper communication skills are essential to providing meaning to the aims of a company – and in the bid to present a company in the best way to clients, consumers, and even competitors. With a masters in communication, communication majors can develop these skills even further.
What you can do with a Communication Degree
The following are roles and positions you can assume with a communication degree:
1. Public Relations Specialist
No matter the kind of organization, they will be concerned about the public and how it perceives them. With a communications degree, you are properly positioned to be strategic about influencing public perceptions via the media. Public relations specialists write press releases, set up press conferences, and communicate with the media concerning the journalistic merits of the organization’s stories.
There are public relations representatives that work in marketing, advertising, and public relations agencies – meaning they will work with diverse clients. There are others who directly work in the communications department of corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Their major responsibility is to spread correct information about their employers.
2. Event Planner
Any successful event will need a great theme as well as effective promotion to attract the ideal person. People with communication degrees are well placed to find out the interests of their professional organization clients – and plan the events in a way that accentuates those interests.
They have the organizational skills and detail orientation needed to envisage the process and consider the needs of the attendees and presenters. Event planners are able to utilize the speaking skills honed during their degree to introduce speakers and make announcements during programs. The writing skills will also help them compose press releases, biographies, and descriptions for events and also online content regarding meetings/events.
3. Media Planner
People in this role have to understand the viewing, listening, reading, and clicking tendencies of consumers, so as to choose the most ideal mix of media platforms for advertising campaigns.
A person with a communication degree is qualified to conduct examinations on the manner that demographics consume media, all in a bid to anticipate the best placement of advertisements. With their writing and presentation skills, communication majors in this role can also pitch plans to executives and advertising colleagues.
4. Social Media Manager
Being a social media manager involves communication with people. That’s why it’s ideal for a communication major who has been trained to analyze communication patterns. People with communication degrees are well placed to assist organizations in leveraging their brands with social media.
These managers have to be competent writers able to compose messages that will attract users of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. They also need to possess presentation skills and persuasive abilities to pitch plans to staff and convince consumers to post testimonials.
5. College Alumni and Development Officers
These officers will conduct evaluations on different alumni groups regarding their needs. They will also plan events like networking receptions, reunions, and any other social event meant to safeguard alumni connections. As for development officers, they study potential donors and reveal parts of the school that reflect the interest of these potential sponsors.
A communication major will be able to compose comprehensively worded communications that will help anyone in a development officer role to effectively pitch their ideas. Both alumni and development officers have to exercise a lot of social finesse to navigate interactions with alumni, potential sponsors, and parents and guardians of students.
6. Human Resources Specialist
These specialists are in charge of communication functions in organizations. These functions include recruiting staff, conveying policies, educating employees, developing training programs, etc.
HR specialists make use of their skills in public speaking to deliver presentations. They also use their writing skills to compose web content, employee manuals, and recruitment literature. Their verbal communication skills also come in handy when advising/counseling employees and when interviewing job applicants.
7. Business Reporter
The rapid rise of business media has created more opportunities for people with communication degrees. Business reporters will need some skills in journalistic writing to be able to cover developments in the financial industry for newspapers, magazines, websites, and television channels. They will have to communicate this information in a form that can be understood by the public.
When covering stories, business reporters will have to utilize interpersonal skills to establish relationships with sources. This is something that can be developed through a communications degree. They should also have the ability to persuade editors to consider their article ideas.
8. Health Educator
The role of health educators is to assess health-related problems of a given population with the aim of creating programs that will address those problems. The main aspect of their job is to understand the perceptions and attitudes of their constituents concerning health concerns. They have to develop and create seminars and workshops meant for their audience. They also create web content that appeals to their constituent. Event planning and organizational skills are important when setting up and promoting any programs in this category.
9. Journalist
The main role of a journalist is to provide information to an audience. However, a journalist will also interview sources, investigate events and provide noteworthy information to websites, magazines, television, radio, newspapers, and even podcasts. As a field, journalism is pretty extensive as it encompasses photojournalists and video journalists who provide content for visual and video platforms; a data journalist who obtains and analyzes data sets while utilizing code; and lots more. Journalists can also specialize in specific areas like arts and culture, politics, sports, economics, education, or wellness.
Generally, journalists are curious about events, systems, institutions, and people. Regarding this, communication majors have experience navigating most of these aspects. Journalists have to understand a good story, find the best sources to assist them, and also be able to effectively communicate with the sources and their audience. This is where the emotional intelligence and the verbal/written communication skills gained from a communication degree will play a big part.
If you’re already studying a communication degree and you plan to work as a journalist, make sure you select some journalism courses in your major, write for your school publication or look for an internship in journalism.
10. Brand Manager
The role of a brand manager is to oversee the stance of products in the public’s consciousness. A brand manager will analyze the reactions of consumers regarding their products using factors like price, accessibility, and packaging, and consumer experience. The supervision of campaigns like promotion and advertising is of great importance to a brand manager.
Brand managers need to have communication and interpersonal skills to develop cooperation from other advertising, marketing, and sales partners. A communication degree will also be helpful in evaluating commercials, advertisements, and other marketing strategies.
11. Sales Representative
Granted, a lot of people with communication degrees (or people planning to get communication degrees) won’t consider sales as a career choice during college. However, the skills they learn during their communication degree can be transferred to a successful career in sales.
A communication degree will teach people how to assess audience preferences – almost similar to how a salesperson has to be able to anticipate their customers’ needs. The written and verbal communication skills honed during this degree will help the salesperson to create and present the best pitch to each kind of businesses and consumers.
12. Copywriter
If you’re a great communicator that can write succinctly, a career in copywriting might be ideal for you. Copywriters are tasked to develop a peculiar brand voice for organizations and companies. They also have to conduct interviews and research to pinpoint brand stories that are compelling. In addition to this, they collaborate with designers to ensure that the layout, graphics, and copy are all on the same page.
