6 Common Career Paths Communication Majors Get Into

Choosing the right career for you can be even more difficult than choosing a major.

While some college majors have a clear career path associated with them, other degrees are more versatile and offer a range of options for graduates.

Communications is one of the most versatile majors, giving students lots of flexibility but also some difficult choices to make upon graduation.

If you’re feeling stumped on which career path to choose, or if you’re considering becoming a communication major, it’s important to consider the possibilities carefully.

Take some time to consider your interests, personality, and abilities. Here are 6 of the most common career paths for communication majors:

1. Strategic Communication: The Speech Writing Career for Communication Majors

When most people watch a politician or cultural leader speak, they don’t realize that the words they’re speaking may not be their own, exactly. A speechwriter is usually involved in bringing the world’s greatest addresses to life.

Anyone who is required to speak in public on a regular basis should be able to speak fairly eloquently on a topic they know a lot about. Charisma is also important but when it comes to important speeches, a speechwriter is usually brought in.

Speechwriters must understand the nuances of communication and understand how to evoke the proper tone and message.

A career in speech writing may involve helping people from all walks of life to get their message across, whether that means writing wedding toasts or historic addresses.

2. Mass Communication: Radio & TV

Communication majors are often perfectly trained for a job in mass communications. Working at a radio or TV station is a dream come true for many graduates with a degree in communications.

Getting into these fields can be the most challenging part of the process. These fields are competitive, especially for on-air talent.

Communications majors should try to get as much experience as they can while they complete their degree, whether that means working for the school radio station or taking internships.

3. Visual Communication: Games, Social Media & Content Marketing

Communications majors have a huge number of opportunities within exciting fields like gaming and marketing.

Public relations, copywriting, content marketing, and community management are all great options for those who are passionate about visual communication and marketing.

While they might not have a hand in creating games, communication majors can help to promote them and create excitement around a new product. That’s a crucial role within the industry!

4. Sports Communications

Those interested in communications who also love sports are poised to get into the field of sports communications.

There are so many directions this career path can lead, from event management to public relations and sports speech writing.

Many people think of sports commentary as the only type of sports communication, but this is only scratching the surface.

Athletes are celebrities and for sports teams to make money, they need an engaged fan base..

5. The Academia Path: How to Become a Professor

Some communication majors might be interested in helping to educate the next generation of communications specialists.

Becoming a professor is not an easy career path, but it can be extremely satisfying. Communication majors who take this path will be responsible for preparing graduates to take on real roles in a dynamic industry.

6. Human Resources: A Career Path for Communication Majors

Most people who get into communication-heavy fields enjoy working with people. This is one reason why so many communication majors are suited to jobs in the field of human resources.

Communication graduates have the ability to work with all kinds of people and find solutions to their problems.

In human resources, it is necessary to juggle lots of different tasks, work with different personalities, and resolve conflicts as peacefully as possible.

Many communication majors thrive in this fast-paced industry and work their way up within the field.

7. Fundraising & Non-Profits

Compassionate communication majors can find a lot of fulfillment through working in the non-profit sector.

Not only can they put their PR and communication skills to work for a good cause, but they can simultaneously work on projects they are passionate about.

Non-profit work is usually not as well-paid as many other career paths suited to communications majors, but those who join this field find the rewarding nature of the work to offset this significantly.