Communication Breakdown
Post by
Mark Kaefer | October 8th, 2008
As a marketer with a Bachelor of Science in television/radio, I often find myself curious when I hear colleagues, friends and even family ask just what exactly what does someone “do” with a communications degree?
Back in the day, as a Park School of Communications undergrad at Ithaca College, I “did” a whole lot. I managed the college radio station my senior year. I interned full-time in publicity and promotion at a major record label. And in addition to my academics, I participated in a number of other activities, covering everything from joining a creative advertising team to handling crisis PR, and from being a DJ to booking bands at music clubs.
All of this experience played a role in setting me on my career path. After a couple of years working professionally in radio, I ultimately earned a master’s in marketing communications and officially launched my marketing career. And though this is my story, it’s heartening to see that communication/media students and young professionals today are pursuing familiar roles.
In dissecting the Experience Network member base, our Gen Y candidates who have selected communication/media as a major in their personal profiles have indicated interest in a variety of job functions. PR and marketing – my bread and butter – account for nearly a third of the top dozen functions. Also in the mix are writing and event planning (at 10 percent each); creative/design/multimedia (9 percent); advertising and broadcasting (at 7 percent each); and sales (6 percent).
While it’s true that communications as a major isn’t always as clearly defined as accounting, computer science or engineering, it’s a major that produces candidates for all employers in all industry verticals. It’s also interesting to note, in looking at my post from last week, that marketing, HR, management and sales fall in both the top 12 communications job functions – but also the top 10 overall functions, as searched by Gen Y candidates over the last three months. Functions like PR and marketing align with what’s traditionally defined as communications. However, when looking at the communications majors who are interested in careers in HR, sales and so on, these candidates – with solid writing and verbal communications training – might be fertile ground for positions that don’t typically align with their area of study.
Communications majors are everywhere. And in our current corporate climate, which frankly spotlights the significance of strategic communications as a business tenet, employers must continue to seek effective “communicators” as businesses navigate an evolving economic landscape.
