One of these fields is the communications/arts field. This is not to say by any means that communications and arts do not require expertise. Furthermore, one who has some college education in communications-related fields can really have an edge over competitors. However, it is possible still to find good entry-level positions in communications with just a bachelor’s degree. It could even be possible to find such entry-level positions if you have not finished getting your undergraduate degree or even if you have not gone to college, if you can prove you have the right amount of ability and drive.
Effective communication is at the heart of all human endeavors. It does no business any good to have the best products and services if it cannot communicate this fact to enough people in an effective way. It does no good to develop great technology and make incredible scientific discoveries if they are not communicated about clearly and passionately to intelligent people outside the field. Communication also creates new emotional impressions, cultivates new concepts, shapes new and existing social norms, and enables the dynamic and robust exchange of information that makes new services, products, and scientific understanding possible in the first place.
With the rise of social networking on the Internet, we are seeing a phenomenon that many feel is a reaction to the world growing farther apart. How could we be growing so far apart when we can communicate and travel faster and less expensively than ever before? Because we have also developed so many personal means of pleasure or escape from the work world. People amuse, entertain, and inform themselves on the Internet, in front of the TV, with their iPods and similar musical devices, in their cars, on their cell phones—all alone. This high level of impersonalization is coupled with the fact that everybody works so much. Two-income households are the norm now, no longer the exception. Both parents typically work now, and what’s more, they both tend to work longer hours than one parent did earlier.
But communications is starting to break down these barriers we have erected between each other. Social networking online with things like Facebook, Digg, and forums is just one powerful example. Blogging has become a major phenomenon, sometimes hailed as the “new journalism.” And now, more people than ever are giving it a go with working via telecommuting, either in the context of a virtual office, freelancing, or running their own Internet-affiliate marketing business, all from the convenience and comfort of their own home where they can be surrounded by their loved ones or children even while they work. Also, these types of businesses are making it possible to decrease working hours without decreasing income.
All of this spells new standards for those who are interested in communications. It also spells new opportunities and makes those who have highly cultivated communications skills more in demand.
One newly developing field in which there are a growing number of entry-level jobs available is visual communications. Mainly concerned with using two-dimensional images to communicate or convey information, visual communications encompasses photography, video, drawing, painting, signage, typography, graphic design, illustration, and visual electronic media like 3-D animation, Web site design, and multimedia production. To qualify for entry-level jobs in this subdivision of the communications/arts field, you will need to be trained or educated in the basics of design principles, creative visualization, and related computer technology programs. You will also need to understand how to make use of visual communication techniques for presentations, marketing, and advertising.
You might find it easier to learn visual communications/arts by going to college. However, if you have the knack and resources, you can teach yourself most of the necessary skills. It helps you if you specialize, since specialization is more needed than ever these days because there is so much knowledge and technology related to nearly every single endeavor now. One area where there is much opportunity in this subdivision is desktop publishing.
Of course, the power of excellent linguistic prowess cannot be underestimated. Those with great command of English (or whatever their local language may be) can become copywriters, SEO specialists, PR specialists, company bloggers and content producers, or ghost writers. Again, it can be a big help to have a bachelor’s degree in communications to land entry-level jobs available in this field, but if for instance you have been blogging for two years and can prove your abilities to a prospective employer, you have a very good chance of being hired.
Those in communications jobs are averaging $61,000 a year in pay. Some who are experienced are making six figures.
