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communication is a skill you can use in everyday life.

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Did you ever had a bad experience while reporting something?

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Did you ever had a bad experience while reporting something?

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Why does she want to risk her life for the news

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Was it easy, what did you struggle with?

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Where did you go to school?

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how does it feel to communicate with people around the world 

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how does it feel to communicate with people around the world 

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how many years are you planning to be a news reporter?

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how many years are you planning to be a news reporter?

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On Thursday we will have a guest speaker!  Her name is Ms. Crystal Bui.  She works for news channel 10 - WJAR.  

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On Thursday we will have a guest speaker!  Her name is Ms. Crystal Bui.  She works for news channel 10 - WJAR.  

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Please research the following websites in order to gather information about the different jobs that communications offers.  Have fun!  ;O)

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Please research the following websites in order to gather information about the different jobs that communications offers.  Have fun!  ;O)

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What is the study of communications?  How would you describe "communications"?  

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What is the study of communications?  How would you describe "communications"?  

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What are some possible jobs in communications?  

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What are some possible jobs in communications?  

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Ms. Crystal Bui will visit us on Thursday!  She is coming to tell us about her job and her education.  Please research the following websites and generate three questions that you would like to ask Ms. Bui.  Thank you!

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Ms. Crystal Bui will visit us on Thursday!  She is coming to tell us about her job and her education.  Please research the following websites and generate three questions that you would like to ask Ms. Bui.  Thank you!

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Crystal Bui has joined Providence's WJAR NBC 10 as a reporter.

Crystal joins WJAR from KIMA CBS 29 in Yakima, Washington where she was a multimedia journalist.

"After nearly two years at KIMA Action News" she said in a Facebook post, "I'll be signing off in my last KIMA live tonight to pursue the next steps in my career. I'm transferring to our sister station in Rhode Island. Thank you so much for bringing me into your home, answering my questions, and sharing so many stories. I'm grateful for how much I've learned and for the support I received from my coworkers and the community, all while I got to call Yakima home."

While in the Pacific Northwest, she wrote, filmed, edited, and produced her own stories. Crystal's solo reporting on a near-fatal SWAT standoff received first-place honors for best live breaking news coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Her passions for storytelling and reporting began at the fast-paced assignment desk in Hawaii. She previously worked as assignment editor for KITV ABC 4 in Honolulu.

A native of Santa Rosa, California, Crystal is a graduate of Tufts University where she earned dual Bachelor's degrees in English and women's studies, and a minor in media and communication studies.

Crystal started at WJAR in August.

Follow Crystal on Social Media:
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Crystal Bui Joins WJAR as Reporter | Providence

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A communications degree is, as you may expect, all about learning how to communicate information effectively. Good communication is essential in just about every industry, helping to sell products to the public, maintain strong relationships with investors, clients and customers, and - not always as prominent but just as important - to make sure everyone within the business and outside are operating on the same page. Whether working among business executives or digital-age creatives, communication skills are very much sought-after, particularly in the modern world of business jargon, complex technologies and saturated markets.

A communications degree will allow you to build awareness of how to communicate information to diverse audiences effectively, with specific business goals in mind. Strong communication skills are invaluable in order to provide meaning and resonance to the companies' aims, and to present the company and its services or products in the best (and clearest) possible way to consumers, clients and colleagues.

Often studied alongside media studies or journalism at undergraduate level, communications is also offered as a subject in its own right and can be taken further with a specialization at postgraduate level. Alternatively, you could start by studying communications at undergraduate level, before progressing to a master's focusing on a field such as digital marketing.

So, what can you do with a communications degree?

Communications graduates have long been valued within businesses among human resources teams, helping to recruit, train and retain valued staff. Depending on the type of business your company conducts, there may also be room for communications graduates within customer- and client- facing departments such as public relations and marketing. In these roles you'll likely be working to ensure your company is communicating effectively in all its marketing materials while maintaining a strong relationship with the public.

But careers in communications don't stop there. Communications teams are also vital in a wide range of creative industries, including the fast-growing world of digital media, which in recent years has seen huge growth in the need for graduates with digital communication skills such as expertise with social media or web development. As the digital age continues its rapid advancement, so too do opportunities for communications graduates interested in new media careers.

For a look at some common and not-so-common jobs with a communications degree, read on!

Typical careers in communications

Here we look at a selection of more typical careers in communications; from HR departments to the world of advertising, discover the roles where your communication skills are most in need. If you're interested in opportunities within digital and new media, take a look at the less typical communications careers further down.

Communications careers in business

With communications playing such a key role in any business or organization, a communications degree is a great way to enter the business world. Regardless of product or industry, entry-level communications roles will require you to demonstrate strong written and oral communication and presentation skills, along with knowledge of how a business functions across departments. There is also the potential for career development into executive, managerial and training roles after gaining some experience.

Communications careers in human resources

A key department of any large business, human resources is vital for developing and maintaining worker ethics, performance and motivation. Your role as a communications graduate is likely to be in providing the right information at the right time to the right people within the company. You may be involved in recruiting new staff, raising awareness about training or professional development programs, or ensuring company guidelines and regulations are clearly communicated. Communications careers in this area will benefit from an aptitude for nurturing relationships and communicating well with many different types of people.

Communications careers in marketing, public relations and advertising

Marketing, public relations and advertising are three more great answers to the question " what can you do with a communications degree?" In these related areas, communications graduates can be useful in delivering effective written and oral communication to consumers, colleagues or clients. This could be in the form of press releases, advertising scripts, company presentations and print campaigns, as well as attendance at media events and the ongoing development of professional relationships with clients and the media.

Communications careers in media

Media jobs with a communications degree are large in number - as you'd expect, since the main aims of the media sector are to communicate information and provide entertainment. Whether you're interested in becoming involved with TV and film production, magazine and newspaper journalism, or online and digital channels, media careers all require graduates with excellent communication skills, and the ability to curate and disseminate information in engaging and relevant ways.

Media is, however, a very competitive industry, and it's unlikely (though not impossible) that you will be hired by a big media corporation such as the BBC or the Huffington Post straight after graduation. Relevant work experience is essential, so those interested in entering the media world should consider undertaking internships or getting involved in student media productions while still studying, to increase their chances of getting a related role upon graduation. Those interested in journalism may also consider building a portfolio of their own journalistic work and/or gaining a relevant postgraduate degree.

Less typical careers in communications

What can you do with a communications degree if you don't want to go into the typical careers outlined above? Read on for a selection of less typical jobs with a communications degree, from film producer to legal secretary. Bear in mind that this is not an exhaustive list; communications graduates are sought-after in almost any industry you can think of!

Careers in digital media

The digital media industry is currently reshaping the way society consumes media and information. Online news sites, social networks and digital technologies are all areas of the industry continuing to expand, leading to significant increases in job opportunities for those with a combination of communication skills and digital proficiency. If you're interested in a media career but concerned about the longevity of print media, digital media is the way to go! This expanding field incorporates careers in journalism, video production, web design, social media and online publishing, to name but a few - and more roles are appearing as technologies and audience behavior continue to evolve.

Careers in law

Although most people entering the legal industry do so with a postgraduate qualification or specialized law degree, communications graduates may be interested in pursuing administrative and organizational roles, working for local or national civil and criminal courts or even governmental and independent legal firms. For example, legal secretary roles and paralegal roles are often held by communications graduates. An undergraduate communications degree could also be a great starting point from which to apply to law school. However, if you do not wish to gain further qualifications there is a limit to your advancement in this industry, due to the requirements for roles such as a solicitor or barrister. Depending on the hiring company, however, there may be the possibility of gaining some additional qualifications while you work.

Careers in education

Another option is education, where your communication skills will certainly be needed daily! To be hired within primary or secondary education, you'll need a teaching qualification. Depending on the country you want to work in, this will take at least a year to obtain. For tertiary education, at institutions such as colleges and universities, it is more likely that you'll need a postgraduate qualification in a related specialization in order to teach.

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'What Can You Do With a Communications Degree?' is part of our 'What Can You Do With...' series. We have also covered art, biology, business, computer science, English, engineering, fashion, history, geography, law, marketing, mathematics, performing arts, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology, chemistry, economics and physics.

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What Can You Do With a Communications Degree?

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A communications degree is, as you may expect, all about learning how to communicate information effectively. Good communication is essential in just about every industry, helping to sell products to the public, maintain strong relationships with investors, clients and customers, and - not always as prominent but just as important - to make sure everyone within the business and outside are operating on the same page.

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As human beings, we'd be pretty much nowhere without the ability to communicate. The very basis of our cultures, societies, economies, languages - everything is based on the symbols we all recognize to have common meaning. As such, the study of communications intersects many the other disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, etc. In the present day, communications studies is one of the more popular chosen undergraduate majors, likely due to the great flexibility that majoring in communications can provide for life after school. Indeed, communications majors can go on to work in just about any field, from acting to research and nearly everything in-between.

Entry Level Job Guide for Communications Majors

1. About the Communications Major

2. Skills Developed in the Communications Major

3. Related Valuable Job Skills for Communications Majors

4. Entry Level Jobs Well-Suited for Communications Majors

5. Other Possible Career Paths for Communications Majors

6. Things a Communications Major Should Learn and Do

7. Other Areas You May Be Interested In

8. External Resources

About the Communications Major

Despite the high degree of flexibility provided by the subject matter, a fairly sizable percentage communications majors - about one out of every five - go on to work in a field largely related to their area of study. These positions often fall in the private, for-profit sector, but that isn't to say that there aren't positions available in other industries.

The 2011 academic year saw about 83,000 bachelors degrees in communications given, about 4.89% of the 1,715,000 given in total, making it one of the most popular degrees attained behind psychology, health services, social sciences, and the arts.

The job outlook for most communications-related positions is listed good to normal.

Skills Developed in the Communications Major

It goes without saying that, as a student of communications, one of the chief skills developed as an undergraduate student is that of, well, communication. Because communications studies can span communication at the level of symbolic meanings of single words and sounds to greater structures of mass media, those that study communications become comfortable with not only communicating - speaking, writing, presenting, debating - itself, but also understanding communication itself as a hugely important human behavior, from the theoretical aspects of language to the effects of communication within a given social group

As a result, its likely that as a communications major, you've collaborated on assignments and projects, whether they be endeavors of analysis or production. This ability to communicate effectively with others as well as work alongside them as a member of a team - be them classmates, professors, or professionals in the communications industry - will be hugely valuable in the ever-approaching post-graduate job search.

From studying the ways in which we communicate with one another, you've come to understand the importance of persuasion and influence in our societies. As a result, you likely understand some of the fundamental concepts behind marketing and presentation, which leads to an ability to market oneself, and one's skills, effectively. Having taken a close and critical look at the communicative power of the written and spoken word as well as visual presentations, communications majors are well-versed in the very language of relationships, a skill that can be effectively employed in finding a job as well as prospering in your entry-level position and beyond.

Finally, the in-depth investigation of communication performed by communications majors precipitates a honed ability to take a critical eye to many of the situation, relations, and occurrences that many of us take for granted. Teasing apart rhetorical structure and arguments, communications majors apply their critical reasoning skills to understand the power of our systems of communication. As the very basis of most aspects of our lives, to see the motivations and effects of communications can lead to a particularly apt ability to create novel solutions to common, everyday problems as well as craft effective communications - whether they be speeches, advertisements, or press releases - of your own.

Related Valuable Job Skills for Communications Majors

Communications majors often bump up against other disciplines in the social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, etc. that help to illustrate and ground communication theory. As such, you've likely gained new perspectives from taking topical classes in these subjects.

Entry Level Jobs Well-Suited for Communications Majors

Public Relations
Median Pay: $57,550
A communications major's in-depth understanding of the cultural climate of the times - and the ways in which to effectively navigate it for a client - can lead to a prosperous fit in Public Relations positions. Essentially, PR specialists act as the middle man between a client and the public, managing the flow of information - speeches, press releases, interviews, etc - in order to cultivate a prosperous public image for the client. After having studied the many channels of media, communications majors not only understand the subject at hand, but can also effectively employ their skills speaking and writing in order to effectively work as a PR specialist.

Event Planner
Median Pay: $45,260
Things get done when people collaborate. Often, it's as simple as that. And yet, people are also notoriously poor at organizing themselves to do so, and hamstring their productivity as a result. While it's not a position for the faint of heart, or those who struggle keeping track of loose ends, communications majors can, after four years of undergraduate school, be well-prepared to land an entry-level job as an event planner. Event planners coordinate meetings and conventions, ensure the functionality of written and visual materials, hire speakers and presenters, and so on. Essentially, event planners set the stage for the collaboration that drives much of industry. It's an important and necessary position that utilizes the interpersonal, written, oral, and organizational skills of communications majors.

Median Pay: Varies By Industry, from $18,500-$87,000
Much like those that go into position in Public Relations, sales is essentially the job of acting as a middleman. Whereas PR specialists aim to keep a client in good standing with the general populace, those in sales essentially aim to do the same between product and consumer. A position in sales is well-fitting for the interpersonal and speaking skills that you've honed over the past few years of your undergraduate studies, and necessitates as a back-of-your-hand knowledge of the products that you're representing.

Other Possible Career Paths for Communications Majors

Things a Communications Major Should Learn and Do

Keep yourself well-versed in social media platforms and current news channels. Starting a blog, or even a retail job in sales can help add to your resumé for potential employers.

Other Areas You May Be Interested In

External Resources

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As human beings, we'd be pretty much nowhere without the ability to communicate. The very basis of our cultures, societies, economies, languages - everything is based on the symbols we all recognize to have common meaning. As such, the study of communications intersects many the other disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, etc.

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Crystal Bui is an experienced TV news reporter and award-winning multi-media journalist for NBC-10 WJAR - Rhode Island. She grew up bilingual in California, speaking English and Vietnamese. She...