Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Everyone totally wishes they had a way with words. A good idea or message is worthless if it can't be communicated properly. After all, we puny humans weren't born with the gift of telepathy. Unfortunately, we can't all be Professor X, but the closest we can get to being Professor X (or even Jean Grey) is by studying communications. Put that on your resumé.
Here's the deal: You can go into almost any field with a communications degree. Sure, you might need to do a couple extra years of schooling (for all you law-lovers out there), but you're setting yourself up for a variety of jobs by majoring in communications. You'll bag some shrewd verbal skills, learn how to communicate to the masses, and pick up some corporate strategies along the way. With those skills at hand, you can succeed in the world of business, advertising, and even entertainment. The world is your oyster, Shmoopers.
Common Career Fields
Administration. What's the number one thing you learn as a communications major? If you guessed, "How to communicate with people," then you're right on the money. It might sound obvious or easy, but communicating clearly is a lot tougher than it sounds. There are things like body language, gender, and culture to consider when getting your point across. All of these issues are part of the curriculum for communications majors and people in management positions. Think about how much easier work would be if everyone understood one another. With a communications major at the helm, people can.
Advertising. Even a great idea goes nowhere without the right advertising and marketing. Communications majors head off to the business world with their oral communications and rhetorical skills in tow, ready to launch a new brand. Their knowledge of human behavior and general psychology gives them an advantage in determining how a brand should be launched and presented to the public. Plus, they know how to communicate even without using words.
Broadcasting. If journalists didn't use interesting rhetoric or eye-catching imagery when writing an article or reporting the news, we'd probably just stop being engaged. Basically, you need to be a good orator to communicate effectively to be on the news. All the most inspiring political leaders (Obama, Kennedy, Churchill) were good orators. Being a good orator is actually one of the reasons why Hitler gained so much power and support from his people. Many communications majors head over to the world of broadcasting in one way or another. Whether that's working as a reporter for the news, a host of a snazzy game show, or a radio personality, a degree in communications is your first stop to landing an interview.
Diplomat. Poise, international relations, and great communication skills are all at the top of the list of must-haves for diplomats. An ambassador represents their home country while showing respect to other cultures. They have to be well-versed in politics, and keep their cool in a variety of situations. Learning how to communicate effectively and clearly in sticky situations is something that communications majors do best, and that comes in handy as a diplomat. This is where all those political science courses will be put to use.
Law. Odds are, you've had the privilege/misfortune of serving on a jury. If not, odds are more likely that you've seen movies or TV shows that involve courtroom scenes. What these life experiences have taught us is this: Lawyers talk funny. No, seriously. They can't take a hint and don't seem to ever talk directly to anyone. "Does the witness confirm that this is, indeed, a pencil?" "Objection. The prosecution is leading the witness." Like, what? Well, Shmoopers, there's a reason for this. In order to leave no room for the jury to make assumptions, lawyers need to talk very directly and clearly. This is also for recording purposes, in case facts need to be recounted. There's no doubt that a degree in communications in especially useful for this.
Public Relations. It's kind of hard to sugarcoat the fact that your client embezzled millions of dollars, or that she did, indeed, have her driver's license suspended for driving under the influence. Since mere mortals cannot even fathom the verbiage appropriate for this kind of press release, public relations specialists ascend from above to protect the public images of these goofballs. PR specialists, after all, are really, really good at saying that someone goofed up in a bunch of different ways. This is probably because they majored in communications.
Writer. If you dream of an Emmy or an Oscar but you can't act to save your skin, check out a career as a writer. You can pen famous novels and get on the almighty Oprah's Book Club list, or you can use your Call of Duty skills to write for a video game. Maybe you can even take your unhealthy Breaking Bad obsession and parley that into writing for a hit TV show. Writers have a tough time of it out of college, but every once in a while, some outstanding writers not only make it work, but hit it big.
Current unemployment of the major
7%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
19%Stats obtained from this source.