Your Communications Degree: Take it Personally

If you're like most people, then you're embarking on your educational journey in the interest of career advancement. That corner office. The bigger paycheck. Or just the thought of spending 8am to 5pm doing something you like to do rather than something you have to do.

But somewhere along the way, there's a chance you'll find that what you learn in the classroom makes a positive impact on you personally, not just professionally. It's more than being that person who can sprinkle a casual conversation with impressive buzzwords or trivia. Rather, you might just find that the theories you learn have practical application in how you live - from the products you buy to the type of relationships you have. Now that's getting personal.

This is more true in the Communications field than perhaps any other field. And it's a great added value to this career choice. Some degrees change how you make a living. But a communications degree might change how you see your whole life.

Book-smart Meets Media-smart

It's no secret that we live in a media-rich culture. We're all bombarded by an increasing number of messages every day - from the billboard we pass during our commute, to the commercial we hear on the radio, to the pop-up banner we see on the Internet once we're at the office.

As a communications major, you'll understand these messages on a new level. You'll recognize brand shifts in products. You'll see through blatant appeals to fear or insecurity. You'll pierce the veil of advertising. It's basically the same thing as taking the blue pill from The Matrix - your eyes are open to the media landscape as it actually exists, rather than being subject to the perceptions that advertisers want you to have.

This skill becomes more important as the line between objective media communications and advertising becomes blurrier and blurrier. Is that blockbuster movie based on a children's toy good summer fun, or a two and a half hour commercial? Is the news segment the anchorman tosses to an actual report, or a neatly-packaged video news release created by a corporation? The more media savvy you become, the more you'll be able to parse objective fact from biased communication.

Don't Forget the Audience of One

Let's break it down to the micro level. Your study of communications may also include important insights into the interpersonal and non-verbal levels. If you've ever found yourself in an argument where the other party seemed to be speaking from an incomprehensible perspective - possibly one from another planet - then these insights will be invaluable to you.

You'll learn how to read non-verbal cues and successfully extract their meanings. Is the person you're speaking to nervous? Angry? Bored? Imagine the power of knowing their feelings before they have to come right out and tell you.

Shaping your speech in a way that welcomes dialog and cuts to the heart of the matter is another useful skill you could develop. You'll learn how to broach conflict without creating resentment - a tool that could do anything from helping determine which movie you'll see when everyone has a different preference to resolving conflict in a way that could save an entire relationship.

So remember - a Communications Degree will launch you into a successful career in advertising, journalism or public relations. But it might also change the way you see the entire world.

By Chris Smith - Freelance Copywriter/Creative Director

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