Nightmarish Reality of the Communications Major
Oh, you require 4 years of experience in this field for an entry-level position? I think what you fail to realize is, I have a degree in Communications; I’m 4 years out of college, and I haven’t even known where to begin applying. Customer service work has seemed safe and obtainable, so I’ve been stuck in what now seems to be a cycle of minimum wage mundane jobs. Worst of all is it’s reaching the point where it seems too late to break out of this cycle. Furthermore, I’m not quite sure what the position you’re advertising even is.
The job application process is discouraging to the point of nauseating. I assume it’s anxiety-inducing in any field, but applying for jobs in the realm of communications is a confusing nightmare. First and foremost, the majority of positions sound like made up combinations of buzzwords. “Junior Marketing Assistant Creative Director?” Nice try, ponzi scheme. Just tell me I’ll be selling silverware in a CostCo. “Assistant Consultant Media Specialist.” What are we even talking about at this point? I know these titles will impress elderly relatives and confuse everybody else, but can we be less cryptic? My livelihood is at stake here.
I suffer a near-anxiety attack merely reading job descriptions. After just a couple bullet points under “responsibilities,” I’m left to feel like I learned nothing throughout college. Perhaps I should have aimed for a more specific field than “Communications,” because to this day I’m not quite sure what SEO is. Your guess is as good as mine with “UX.” There are simply too many acronyms out there. If I’m uncertain what you’re describing, I’m pretty certain I’m unfit for the job.
Most frightening of all regarding the communications job application process is the required experience. 5 years in copywriting? If I had 5 years of work experience in copywriting I’d be trying to move onto bigger and better things. 4 years as a paid social media specialist? I’ve been providing an unpaid service on social media for over a decade now, but that’s meaningless to you bastards. How does one get their foot in the door if they need a foot in the door to get their foot in their door? I’m beginning to worry I have no feet, and I clearly can’t locate any doors.
I have no advice for post-graduate Communications majors, as I’m the one who desperately needs advice. I do, however, have some advice to younger folks currently pursuing degrees the Comm field — Figure out very specifically what it is you’d like to do, and work hard to land the right internship. Internships are the only correct path I’ve heard from people who are actually working in their fields. To those considering pursuing a degree in Communications — my best advice is don’t. Forget journalism, and listen to the professors who warn that you may want to switch majors. Also, have wealthy parents if at all possible. It’s hard out here for a guy 4 years out of college with a degree in Publishing Communications.
