Does a communications major have any real value?

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[Post New]05/28/2019 12:10
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Anonymous
Our Social Media Director is a Communications major and has no further education other than her B.A. It doesn't appear to have hindered her career as she's 'known' in our industry as being someone who can come in and totally overhaul a company's social media to make it more popular and effective within a short time.

She typically stays with a company for just a few years, 2 seems to be the max, and then moves on the next offer.

If she wants to get into PR for Celebs, she may need to take the PA grunt route. I have a relative in this field who once told me that if a person graduates college with a Communications degree and no job lined up, the chances of getting in with the Hollywood crowd is very slim. It's all through connections made during internships that lead to job offers post-grad.
[Post New]05/28/2019 12:15
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Anonymous
Recruiting for comms type jobs does not happen months in advance like many other industries. Positions are open when there's an immediate need. I was able to secure an internship after college in NYC at a PR firm, but kept looking and got a full-time position the week before I was supposed to start the internship. The timeline are just different.

Agencies, while sometimes intense, are a great way for her to get her feet wet and learn the ropes.

[Post New]05/28/2019 12:21
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Anonymous
I was a Communications major, so I had to laugh at this:

https://local.theonion.com/company-immediately-calls-job-applicant-upon-seeing-b-1819574706
[Post New]05/28/2019 12:35
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Anonymous
My niece graduated with a BA in Communications and got a job in Marketing at Reuter's in Manhattan. She worked there for 2 years and then went home and she had a pick of jobs when she went back. She's doing great there.
[Post New]05/28/2019 12:51
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I have a family member who just graduated from a state flagship with a degree in communications. She does not have a job lined up. What kind of entry level job can someone get with this degree?


Plenty of jobs (see list on link), expected growth over the next 5 years and over the median income for all occupations according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm).
[Post New]05/28/2019 12:53
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Anonymous
yes. My husband was a communications major and is now a lobbyist and earns close to a million dollars a year. Granted he is now 50, and worked up to this.

A friend was a communications major and is a news caster in a major region.
[Post New]05/28/2019 23:32
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Anonymous
They'll do just fine. Although as someone who hires for these kinds of jobs, I'm skeptical of comms grads unless they went to a top j-school or have stellar grades. I can't tell you how many comms majors I've seen who can't communicate. i'll take an English major over a comms major any day for their critical thinking and writing skills. Digital media platforms are constantly evolving so there is little need to study them in school. Better to learn how to learn for long-term career stability. Data analytics skills are in demand too.
[Post New]05/28/2019 23:39
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:yes. My husband was a communications major and is now a lobbyist and earns close to a million dollars a year. Granted he is now 50, and worked up to this.

A friend was a communications major and is a news caster in a major region.


what industry does your DH lobby for?
[Post New]05/29/2019 05:15
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I have a family member who just graduated from a state flagship with a degree in communications. She does not have a job lined up. What kind of entry level job can someone get with this degree?


Barista
[Post New]05/30/2019 06:45
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:They'll do just fine. Although as someone who hires for these kinds of jobs, I'm skeptical of comms grads unless they went to a top j-school or have stellar grades. I can't tell you how many comms majors I've seen who can't communicate. i'll take an English major over a comms major any day for their critical thinking and writing skills. Digital media platforms are constantly evolving so there is little need to study them in school. Better to learn how to learn for long-term career stability. Data analytics skills are in demand too.



What exactly are data analytics skills and what kinds of courses would one take to get them? Are you talking about statistics?
[Post New]05/30/2019 21:10
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They'll do just fine. Although as someone who hires for these kinds of jobs, I'm skeptical of comms grads unless they went to a top j-school or have stellar grades. I can't tell you how many comms majors I've seen who can't communicate. i'll take an English major over a comms major any day for their critical thinking and writing skills. Digital media platforms are constantly evolving so there is little need to study them in school. Better to learn how to learn for long-term career stability. Data analytics skills are in demand too.



What exactly are data analytics skills and what kinds of courses would one take to get them? Are you talking about statistics?


The internet tracks a lot of data. Analyzing that data for companies, organizations, etc is very valuable.
[Post New]05/30/2019 21:17
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Anonymous
If you didn’t intern or network, you will have a hard time finding a job.
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