Hello! I graduate next May with a BA in communications. I have been stressed about “not figuring it out fast enough” when it comes to a career. In the field, I’ve learned its generality is both versatile and overwhelming. I wanted to hear from current professionals on how did they get into their profession whether product communications, PR agencies, marketing, etc.

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The beginning of your career is a time to experiment. Don’t get stuck trying to find the perfect job, but do be open to unique opportunities that will provide you with experience to get you in the next door. If you don’t like where you landed, you can use that experience to inform your next role. In short, don’t worry, be open, try new things! Also - getting into big name companies can be super hard. Be open to companies that aren’t as famous but that will give you experience to get you into the bigger name place later.

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Don’t stress! I’d suggest finding an internship at an agency as a first step. Get to know the environment and see if it’s the right fit for you. After graduation you can get hired as an AAE, which is a learning role. You’re not expected to know everything and if you find the right place you are given the tools you need to succeed.

In the meantime, find out what type of comms/PR you are interested in - healthcare, consumer, tech, etc.. Healthcare is always a solid option if its something you’re interested in!

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I started as a newspaper reporter—covering cops, then federal courts, then business. I moved into communications in financial services, then law. Do what moves you, and follow your interests. You’re young. It’s okay to make mistakes. Just learn from them and move on. Good luck!

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In line with what someone else said, give yourself some room and time to figure things out. As a relatively recent grad, I just moved from a role that was essentially an assistant researcher/technical writer for a government contracting company to a content creator role for a nonprofit. That versatility in the field carries into the working world and the skills that you develop in one position can transfer to others, such that you don’t have to start in a marketing role to end up there. Especially because you can take on supplemental freelance work or try to incorporate skills that will be relevant for future roles into you current one or just do “extracurricular” projects in your free time. Bottom line, you’re not locked into a certain role or field. The versatility is a gift, not a curse. Just pick something you’re interested in to start off.

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Congrats on your near graduation! I’d suggest setting up “informational interviews” with professionals who majored with a BA in communications or work in a field you’re interested in. Then ask them about their day-to-day work life. From there you can get a better idea of what type of work you’d be interested in and gain relationships that you can possibly leverage in the future. Good luck!

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Also- I got into my role in an untraditional way. I majored in design, but after several internships & post-grad work, I realized it wasn’t the route for me. From there I leveraged my existing skills, and then became a digital marketing specialist at a marketing agency, then from there I received a communications job in the nonprofit space.

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I got a press internship at the district/state office of my state’s US Senator and it set me up very well for my future, leading to full time employment and opening the door for comms/PR opportunities in a variety of industries.

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Started my real comms career at a non-profit where deliverables were not on strict timelines. It was a great place to start off. Made a little shift in my career to see if I like working for a large corp but I honestly see myself just gaining the experience and going back to leadership at a non-profit.

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I’m still kinda in the process of breaking in. I’m doing a contract gig for corporate experience :) hoping to get a full time offer here or somewhere else for a bit.

I started as an Administrative Assistant, then EA, then Comms Manager in 4 years. Comms wasn’t what I was intending to do but just presented itself to me at my company. Do you have an internship lined up this summer?

I got in through an internship. Though I didn’t get hired from my internship, someone at the agency gave me tips on places to apply for. I went to a smaller agency that then got acquired by a big one. I thought the smaller agency would be a bad move for my career - but I got to take on a lot of responsibility early. Any foot in will be good!

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Post Photo
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