Careers You Can Do with a Communications Degree (And What They Earn!)
Everyone earns a degree for two reasons: knowledge and money. They are many fields in which you can earn a degree, communication being one of them. A degree in communication, as then name suggests, enhances your communication skills, written and verbal both. A degree in communication means learning the art of transferring information from one person to another with the objective of either entertaining them or enlightening them through media. A degree in communication teaches you the ways by which you can maintain a relationship between the media and the target audiences and the ways in which you can enhance that relationship.
Careers You Can Do with a Communications Degree
Earning a communications degree is not that easy because for earning that degree you need to have impeccable writing and verbal communication skills. But once you achieve a degree in communications there is a long way to go. You can expect a starting salary of $42,000 in USA There are a plethora of careers which you can do with a communications degree. You just need to be creative and must be able to create quality content to be successful in any of the careers listed below which you can pursue with a communications degree.
1. Editor
The first career option you can pursue is an editor. An editor must have impeccable written skills as their main job is to proofread the documents and rectify the spelling and grammatical errors. They must edit the article in such a way that it becomes flawless and easier for the reader to read and understand the content of the article. They act as a safety vault for the content writers as they rectify all of their errors before uploading it on any social site or any other website. As an editor, you can receive approximately $58,000 salary and it may increase as per your performance. There is various type of editors which you can choose to become. These are:
Copy Editors– Copy editors have gained immense popularity with the increase in the number of blogs published by every website. Their basic work is to proofread the content and rectify all the spelling and grammatical errors in the document.
Publication Assistants- Publication Assistants have to proofread and rectify all the errors in a book before it gets published. Their work is much more than that of a copy editor as they don’t just have to rectify the grammatical errors but they also have to check the content of the book including the citations if any. They work in publication houses and are indulged in projects for long tenure as they also have to compile the information from various sources.
Assistant editors– Assistant editors are editors who have expertise in editing a specific type of document. For example, you may be a newspaper assistant editor who edits the contents of a particular section in the newspaper. Just like you, there might be many other assistant editors who edit other sections of the newspaper. In the end, all the sections are compiled together to form one newspaper. Assistant editors are masters of one trade rather than being the jack of all trades and master of none.
Content editors– Content editors are the ones who proofread the contents of the content creators. They generally are an expert in a niche field and are very expensive to hire.
2. Writer
The second-best career option that can be pursued is that of a writer. Editing was a good option for people who wish to enhance the quality of the content created by someone else. But what if you want to create content yourself? Then being a writer is an excellent opportunity for you. Writers are responsible for selecting a topic and performing intensive research on that topic to create high-quality content. They give words to their thoughts in such a way that the reader understands clearly what they are thinking. Along with creating content, the responsibility of a writer also includes creating the content in a creative way so that it garners the attention of the audience.
A writer creates original content and the editor enhances it. Sometimes, the salary of a writer might be a little more than that of an editor. The demand for writers is always high. The writer writes on educational topics that aim at educating a target audience. They also write on entertaining topics that are for the whole public and don’t target a particular class of audience. If you want to become a writer, then you can become any of the following types of writer:
Copywriter– If you have a creative mind, then you can become a copywriter. A copywriter is one who works for a corporate. They write content to advertise their products and services of the corporate there are associated with by making attractive slogans or jingles.
Content writer– Content writers are the most common type of writers in the market. Their job is to create content on any given topic. They are the jack of all trades but master of none. If you want to become a content writer then you can either associate yourself with a professional as a permanent content writer or you can also take up content writing projects on a freelance basis.
Bloggers- Bloggers are people who write content online. They are different from content writers because they don’t write on any given topic. They create their own niche in a specific field or in multiple fields. With the increase in demand for digital marketing, the demand for blogging has also seen an upsurge.
Novelist: Novelists are people who wrote novels which include both fictional and none fictional stories. To become a novelist you need to think creatively because you will have to think something which no one has ever thought of. Novelist becomes popular when they achieve a good fan base. The only challenge new novelists face is that there already are several old novelists with a huge fan base. So, it becomes a little difficult for them to gain a significant share in the market.
Playwrights– Playwrights are people who write plays which can be performed on the stage. Their job is somewhat similar to a novelist. Having said that, a playwright is responsible for mostly writing direct speeches which the actors will say while performing on the stage. So, you need to be really good with your lines if you want to become a good playwright.
Screenwriters– Just like playwrights, screenwriters also have to create lines and write direct speeches. They write dialogues for serials and films. A screenwriter writes for the entertainment of the audience. So they need to be witty and have to be flexible and should be able to write as per the theme and plot of the movie.
3. Public relations expert
The next career option that is available for you is a public relations expert. A public relations expert is hired in a company to make better relations of the company with the public i.e., their stakeholders. They perform this job by releasing various statements in the press regarding their company’s objectives and future prospects. Their work profile also includes responding to the queries of the media related to their company. They also have to endorse the good deeds of their company to increase its brand value in the market. When you are a public relations expert in a company then you need to be extra careful as you have to understand the end results of the statements issued by you on behalf of the company. You represent the company in front of the outside world and any wring statement by you may cost huge to the company. There are various types of public relation specialists jobs available in the market. These are:
Publicist– The major job profile of a publicist is to promote the brand name of the company. They are responsible for press conferences and publicity campaigns. You can work as a publicist with a company or with any agency which in turn provides such services to the company. For being a publicist, you need to have good verbal communication skills.
Social media manager– In this era, the best way to advertise your business is by digital marketing. Social media marketing is one of the most popular forms of digital marketing. With a degree in communication, you can become a social media manager and make use of the social media platform efficiently to advertise and promote their company and gain recognition in the market.
Spokesperson– A spokesperson is a person who speaks on behalf of the company. As a spokesperson, your job becomes very crucial because every statement you make is deemed to be made by the company. A spokesperson needs to give press statements and must have good verbal communication skill and must also know how to tackle tricky questions.
Wrapping up
There are many careers which you can do with a degree in communications, you just need to have impeccable written and verbal communication skills. All the above-listed jobs pay a handsome salary and it is interesting to work as an editor, writer or public relations specialist. You just have to understand where your interest lies and get your job accordingly.
After leaving Wells Fargo Bank in 2014, Daniel began a career as a finance consultant, advising companies and individuals on economic policy, labor relations, and financial management.
At Nimblefreelancer.com, Daniel writes about personal finance topics, value estimation, budgeting strategies, retirement planning, and portfolio diversification.
Read more on Daniel Smith's biography page.
Contact Daniel: daniel@nimblefreelancer.com
