COMMTRACKS
The Changing Comm Industry
By: Mackenzie Farkus
Over the last 15 years, the communications world has changed dramatically. Social media platforms and new technology have transformed the industry, creating an abundance of new jobs.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that from 2018-2028, the amount of media and communications jobs (which includes writing, audio, video, and public relations) in the workforce will grow 4 percent, equating to about 27,000 new jobs. As for graphic design, the industry will grow 3 percent, equating to roughly 8,800 new jobs.
We reached out to eight recent communications alumni to hear what they had to say about the last four years in their industries
Helen Li | 2016 | Web Design and Development
When I was a first year, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to study so I didn’t have very much clarity on what I wanted to do other than that I knew it had to be in service of a greater good. I’m currently a designer at an innovation and brand consultancy where I operate at the intersection of being a visual designer and a strategist for organizations seeking to be more purpose driven, innovate in new product categories, and/or experiment with new ways of working (most of my work is purely just creative problem solving). I graduated from Simmons with a degree in Web Design and Development and do not actively code in my day to day job, but the skills I gained from understanding user experience flows, visual hierarchy, and the ability to articulate my thoughts concisely and precisely has helped me tremendously in my career. Studying abroad also had a significant influence on my scope of what the rest of the world understood the general creative industry to be like. While studying in Denmark, I learned about design concepts like ‘design thinking’ that helped me understand how design materializes in so many different ways beyond just brand identity development and in-house design which I knew I didn’t want to do. Having an understanding of what you want and pursuing your curiosity has been relentlessly beneficial in helping me get to where I am today.
One of the largest shifts in the last 5 years is the mandatory need for communication organizations to be more plugged into culture, especially since we exist in a Cancel Culture right now. The public is inundated with all sorts of bad news and their cognitive load can’t handle nuance as aptly as we’d like so there is a tendency to erase people out of relevancy as soon as they have some kind of stain on their reputation. The communications industry is ultimately made up of individuals and it is up to those individuals to ensure that the messaging being communicated is culturally relevant and scrubbed for tone deafness. On the same plane of consumers being inundated with information, accessibly communicating information is also on the rise. We see this as the “Democratization of [insert industry]” which loosely means that anything that requires a special set of knowledge will be broken down into lay-mans terms in order to give agency back to the individual.
Julia Taliesen | 2018 | Journalism
When I was a first year, my career goals ranged from popstar to sociologist. I did find my way to communications and media rather quickly, though, and my career goals developed into investigative reporter or foreign correspondent. I wanted – and frankly, still want – to spend all of my time doing whatever I can to hold those in power accountable, while simultaneously cultivating empathy by highlighting the depth of the human experience. The reality is a bit different. First, you can’t jump right into a position that has that kind of influence. It takes time to strengthen the skills, ethics, and brazen personality it takes to stand out in this field. Second, the media industry is changing; every day the focus on low-risk, high-reward content grows. Being a journalist involves more than digging through public records and holding provocative interviews, it’s becoming an expert in social media, Google analytics, photography and video production and editing, and pretty much any other digital tool you can think of.
The influence of capitalism on the journalism industry cannot be underestimated (of course), as the drive towards the bottom line consumes principles and any community-oriented mindset. Journalism is as much about making people money as it is a public service. It’s a difficult thing to reckon with, but there’s no other explanation for what the reality is like on the ground. In the year and a half since I graduated, I’ve watched more and more people laid off as companies consolidate, and even more quit to escape the unrealistic expectations. The less of us there are on the ground, the more stories are left uncovered: whether it’s shining a light on police corruption or featuring the story of conflict survivors.
Shen Gao | 2017 | Web Design and Development
I actually spent my first year at a different institution, and imagined that I’d go on to medical school, or at least do something in the biological sciences after graduation if I didn’t right away. I transferred to Simmons during sophomore year, and never imagined that I’d be doing what I’m doing now. I’m almost 3 years out (class of 2017) and I would say I only figured out what I wanted to do last year. College was a great time for me to experiment and ultimately find what I liked doing–which at that point culminated into a major of Web Design & Development. I’m now a product manager, and would say that the coursework I had at Simmons somewhat prepared me for my current job, and it took a lot of self-taught knowledge since graduation to land where I am right now.
Janelle Anderson | 2018 | Journalism
When I was a first year I saw myself pursuing a career in journalism post-undergrad. However, at the time, I don’t think I had a concrete idea of what medium my career path would take me. In a way, I’m doing what I thought I’d be doing, telling stories and using my journalism degree. But I’m doing that through audio and podcasts. That’s something I didn’t expect to do. It’s something I didn’t know I had the skills or passion to do as a freshman.
There was something really special about being a journalism major during my short time at Simmons. How we discussed media changed, but also how we critiqued media changed. Due to the spike of fake news during the 2016 election, the way I understood and approached journalism changed. It’s a change we still see in effect today. We’re being more careful about what we say, how we say it, and what we’re trying to convey. We also consider these things when we receive information. Where is this information coming from? What is the intent behind saying this information in this way? It’s something I don’t think people gave much attention to before.
From a journalism perspective, I remember when I told people my major, they would say the industry was in decline. I don’t feel that way. I feel like the industry is in shift. The way news worked before isn’t enough anymore. The ways we communicate are more varied. Since I’ve graduated that’s only more true. I’m in podcasting and the industry is only growing. It offers a different way to communicate than cable news or the morning paper. There’s a different kind of attention you get from a listener. It’s a kind of attention that can accept information more intimately. I think the type of stories we see now are aware of that more than ever. As a result it’s changing the way we communicate in this field.
Emily Papp | 2018 | Public Relations and Marketing
As a first year, my dream job was to be doing PR or Media Relations at either Vogue or Conde Nast Traveler. Shockingly, there was a point in time that I thought I might leverage my skills in PR to become a journalist (working for the enemy).
Since my time at Simmons, I think the communications industry has shifted to become more integrated. The lines between communications, marketing and public relations are all beginning to blur and merge into one conglomerate. I feel as though the rise of social media has largely contributed to this, with the use of captivating graphics that play into a larger narrative (whether that be a campaign or brand image).
Alli Pichette | 2018 | Graphic Design
When I was a first year I was a physical therapy student so I saw myself going on to finish and get my doctorate and then work somewhere as a physical therapist. In my first year as a comm student (year 4 out of 5) I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do after I graduated. I honestly didn’t know much about the world of communications/graphic design other than knowing that it was something I was good at and wanted to pursue. I saw myself doing something I loved that made me happy but wasn’t sure of any of the specifics.
When I first started at Simmons I didn’t know anything about the communications industry, it was a side thought that I knew was there but I didn’t actually understand anything that went in to it or understand the scope of it. I think one of the biggest changes that I’ve seen though, is just the way roles are changing. For example in graphic design, you’re expected to know so much more than just “normal” graphic design, for some jobs they expect you to basically function as a marketing coordinator under the title of designer. I think people are still realizing how important it is to have a communications team, but don’t understand the difference in roles of the team and what typically falls under a role. This is also just my experience which isn’t much where I’ve only been in the comm field for about 4 years and am only 2 years out of college.
Madison Florence | 2018 | Graphic Design and Public Relations and Marketing Communications
When I was a first-year I was studying education with the intention of graduating with my Masters in 5 years and going straight into Elementary Education. Once I changed my major into Communications, I really saw myself doing marketing or graphic design for an agency or major nonprofit arts organization.
Since starting to study communications I’ve really seen the industry become more guided by the internet and social media trends in a way that is unique from previous interactions. There is a direct line to your customers and companies are really taking advantage of those opportunities to connect with their people. We are seeing more community-driven and curated content, faster response times, and more opportunities for unique customer experiences. On a more technical note, digital communications is allowing for a lot more data to be captured about the consumer and the field is starting to have to navigate a more informed audience while handling a great deal of their personal data. This raises a lot of questions about privacy but also grants companies the ability to learn a great deal more about consumer behaviour.
Since graduation, I think my perspective is really guided by the arts industry that I work in. It’s a much more collaborative industry where we meet to discuss strategies with other competing companies. I did not expect to see such a united community but that gives me a wider lens to our world. We are operating a bit behind the most popular communications trends because of cost. We cannot buy data or hire more people for certain projects. I really love to see what companies can do within limits and constraints because we are keeping up in a world where most companies have advantages over us and I think that is due in part to our collaborative efforts and creativity. We are just constantly adapting and while that might not be new to others, after graduation it felt different from what I learned and expected.
Kendall Bauer | 2016 | Public Relations and Marketing Communications
I wasn’t really sure where my path would lead, but I knew I wanted to be working for a company where I was passionate about their mission and always learning! My interest in public relations was sparked later in my first year during a trip to Omnicom in NYC, and really set the scaffolding for the rest of my time at Simmons.
The communications industry is more digital than ever, especially in the world of social media. People turn to social media as a primary source of information gathering on top of feeling connected to the people and brands they are about most. Having a career in social media was never on my radar when I graduated in 2016, but I am proud to be on the forefront of social media management as more companies are looking to integrate social into their marketing/communication efforts.
Made by the 2020 senior communication students at Simmons University