Congratulations, young Padawan, on your interest in pursuing communications! I jump for joy at the expansion of the population of young professional communicators. We aren't like everyone else. It's okay; We can say that. It's our little secret. Bask in the egotism for a second, because the bad news is next.
Unlike other students, the plight of the communication major entails both classroom conscientiousness and real world experience. In the end, the worth of your communication degree equates to more than just the number of tests you aced or spirals you filled. Don't let those be all you can show for years of hard work. Follow these tips to ensure you make the very best of your time, money and degree.
LEARN THE ART OF NOTE-TAKING
Develop a habit to take notes not just for the benefit of memorizing information for tests but also to sharpen your written communication skills. Great note-takers know how to paraphrase, summarize and organize information -- crucial skillsets for any communication major.
RESEARCH YOUR FIELD
Look into jobs for communication majors, which include publishing, copywriting, public relations and teaching. Try to narrow it down to two or three fields. It's common for college students to change direction, especially in the first two years, and the abundance of opportunity in the communications field supplies students a great plan B... or C... or D.
READ AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Vary your consumption with magazines, audiobooks, fiction + nonfiction, news stories and even those god forsaken textbooks. Avid readers make the best writers, and eclecticism will expand your breadth of knowledge. Marketing, public relations and journalism majors benefit in particular from this, as these jobs demand awareness of news and trends.
SCOUT OUT CLUBS + ORGS
Colleges support a multitude of clubs and organizations, many which target communication majors. Ask about your school's involvement fair or surf its website for groups that welcome wordsmiths. Schools often offer their own unique groups along with chapters of national organizations, like the American Advertising Federation, Public Relations Student Society of America and the Society of Professional Journalists.
START A BLOG
I decided to launch The LC Studio not only as a sister site to my Etsy, but also because I couldn't count on both hands the number of times I heard teachers, grads and communication experts recommend it. Running a blog demonstrates an understanding of social media, analytics, marketing and, of course, a way with words. Need further convincing? Check out 5 secret benefits of blogging.
LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
I'm not just talking about traditional languages, although this proficiency predicts a pretty hefty pay stub. Programming languages like Javascript and web design languages like CSS and HTML continue to saturate the nation's pool of job openings. If these seem too daunting, try instead to become fluent with the "languages" of popular software, like Adobe Creative Suite or Hootsuite, a popular web analytics program.
MINOR IN A COMPLEMENTARY AREA
Minors or concentrations add a specialty to your degree without the expense of a full load of classes. Most people advise that you major in a field you can make a living in, but minor in a field you have a true interest in. I chose to pursue a psychology minor to complement my major, advertising, which relies on consumer thought in order to sell products. Other great minors and concentrations for communication majors include business, marketing, computer science, digital media and sociology.
+ DON'T FORGET TO LOVE THE JOURNEY
I'm so passionate about my path in communications that writing blog content, researching jobs and yes, even studying, feel rewarding. You should award that same joy to yourself. Embrace everything offered by the wondrous world of communications, and I promise your dream job will find you.
Why did you choose to pursue communications? What's your dream job?
Share your story below!
No comments:
Post a Comment