Thinking About a Career In Communication (s)--A Reality Check

Finding a job in the communications and/or media industries is not all fun and games.  In fact, it's hard work just to find an entry level job, let alone a regular job, especially in these tough economic times.  Companies hire you for what you know, as well as for your ability to do the job, either for the regular eight hour a day position many people currently hold, or for the entry-level/part-time/temporary position you may have.

There are many types of communications-related positions available: whether it's public relations, print journalism, advertising, radio and TV, marketing communications, new (digital) media, and/or related fields.  The key is finding the position that not only plays to your skills, talents, and abilities, but also the career you have a passion for.

So here then, is the reality check.

1. What field are you most interested in?  If you're a recent high school graduate looking to study communications in college, you need to know what field you're interested in.  Do you have a passion for sales, publicizing a company or organization, or maybe being creative?  If you don't know what field interests you the most, learning all of the new media in the world can only get you so far when it comes time to start the job hunt.

2. Know what classes/training you need. In addition to the core classes any freshman or sophomore has to take, there are also certain classes related to your college major that you need to take in order to earn a bachelor's degree in communications.  This includes finding the right institution for pursuing that degree, depending upon what field you want to pursue.

3. Be willing to start at the bottom:  No one goes straight from college, to becoming a spokesperson for IBM, for instance.  Therefore, you must be willing to start at the bottom, and work your way up.  If that means finding a job in the mail room, or being an administrative assistant, or taking some other not-so-glamourous job to get where you want to be, so be it.  Yes, large companies like IBM have media relations contacts all over the world.

4. Don't give up: Persistence is the key when searching for that dream job.  It just takes preparing correctly in college (or university, in some parts of the world), networking with the right people, and being in the right place at the right time.  So, don't give up, and good luck.

Communication Careers Corner Contacts:

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