Prospects and challenges facing Mass Communication graduates

By Edet Abia
Communication as we used to know it has changed phenomenally and continues to evolve. Communication technology and media now transcend physical limits and boundaries, and graduates of mass communication just have to use their imagination and exploit the ever-expanding career opportunities now possible.
Mass Communication is not limited to journalism alone as many erroneously think. To a great extent mass media is a modern reality which covers all aspects of human life. Moreover, a great change can be observed in the concept of people working in mass media. Careers in Mass Communication can be high paying but also bring in a great deal of job satisfaction and expression of creativity.
One major challenge that graduates of Mass Communication have to contend with is that unlike what was previously obtainable, people no longer have a degree in journalism, mass communication or any other mass media field to compete, as the democratisation of media technology and online platforms have totally changed the game.

As a mass communicator here are a few of the skills you will need to acquire as a foundation to rising as far as you can in any chosen job or career related to the use of mass media, both old and new.
Verbal/written communication ability, persuasive/negotiation skills, idea evaluation, accuracy and attention to details (these days a little mistake can be amplified by the viral effect of mass media), research skills, analytical skills and creativity skills.                                                                                                                   
Mass media have few boundaries. The term is used to describe media platforms and channels that can be used for widespread communication and audience engagement. No longer are radio and TV the major mass media used by mass communicators. The internet and mobile platforms alongside all other new media have changed the definition and scope of mass media forever.
For you a graduate of mass communication desperate to know what possible options of lucrative careers you can pursue your imagination is the only limitation you may have. See below a snippet of careers and jobs you can do as a Mass Communicator under various Industries.
Business/Industry:
Research analyst,
Media Consultant (for business organisations),
Information Analyst,
Information specialist,
Customer service representative,
Content Marketing Specialist,
Education:
Educational writer Teacher, Media specialist, Media librarian,
Author/Writer,
Media/Journalism:
Reporter, Technical writer
Newspaper editor,
Critic, News director
Sports editor
Proofreader,
Columnist
News analyst
Copyright specialist,
Historian,
Assignment editor,
Radio/TV reporter,
Videographer,
Editor,
Biographer, Print coordinator,
Video journalist,
Government:
Lobbyist, Mediator
Copyright specialist
Administrative assistant, Press secretary, Media specialist analyst
Publishing: Booking agent, Literary agent,
Editor, Writer/Contributor
Advertising/Marketing:
Media buyer, Designer,
Publicity director,
Information specialist,
Marketing communications trainee, Graphics & production specialist,
Promotion representative,
The above are not exhaustive and some of the careers listed above may also require additional professional education or training beyond what is received in the Mass Communication degree.
As a student, you may feel worried and confused with what you will become in the future, because after you have finished your school, you have to get a job. You cannot always be your parent’s kid forever, because someday you will have your own life to live. Before deciding which major that you want to take, it is better for you to look for any information about the career prospect of that major. It is important you have to foresee what you are going to become in the next 10 or even 15 years, make sure you at least have a plan about the job you want to take starting from right now.
Mass Communication is the study of mass media including all kinds of mass media such as newspaper, magazine, radio, films, television, and others. The graduates from this major study can work in many fields of work such as news  media, publishing, public relations, and research institutes.You must have a strong reason about why are you taking certain study programme. For the Journalism and Mass Communication, the strongest reason is coming from its prospect. Since nowadays information and news are something that is so important, it makes many information sources highly increased from newspaper, magazine, television report, and so on.
Due to the increased number of these information fields, the prospect of journalists is endless. Besides, the job is now more challenging because of the globalization that can make you work for some languages at once. The information media is not always about finance and economic, but it has quite diverse fields such as politics, culture, investigation, sports and etc. for newspaper or magazine and also the radio or television.
The career prospects that you may have in the future after taking  Mass Communication study are editing, reporting, advertising, media management, public relations, corporate communication, television and film production, news presentation, and other related jobs.
Finding out that you are interested in certain major of study is actually great.
The digital age has led to an explosion in the entertainment industry involving production.
As it seems, many people are ignorant of the fact that Mass Communication graduates have the career choice of venturing into advertising, broadcast journalism, blogging, digital media and electronic media production. But the fact is that they are never taught in the school on how they can veer into the foregoing allied profession. Worse still, those that can be said to be fast learners and certified in other professions cannot be said to have added impetus to their employability. There is no denying the fact that a working knowledge of Personal Secretaryship or Sales/Marketing is enough to put a Mass communication graduate on a good pedestal to create value with his communication skill.
Many of them are not given the opportunities to apply their transferable skills into other professions they find themselves. In the same nexus, most employers see them as not being confidential enough to be trusted with sensitive documents, correspondences or information. The reason for this virtue cannot be far-fetched as a Mass Communicator is suspiciously seen by many as an “Amebo”. But this impression is erroneous as mass communicators are equally trained and ethically bound like secretaries not to abuse privilege information. It is for this reason that media law and ethics is made a compulsory course in all mass communication schools.
Mass Communicators do not mishandle information as many people, particularly executives in the corporate world are made to believe. Also, despite the fact that the knowledge which a Mass Communication graduate is imbued with have equipped him with the skills of analyzing price, demand and competition as well as presenting ideas and promotional strategies, he is not favourably considered for Sales/Marketing Executive jobs.
At this juncture, it is not out of place for anyone to ask “Why can’t Mass Communication graduates not look for jobs in either the print or the broadcast industry?” It is also not out of place for anyone to ask “Why can’t Mass Communication graduates not search for jobs in the marketing communication sub –sector?” The fact is that the windows of opportunities are seemingly shut against Mass Communicators that are rookies.
In the mainstream media and allied professions like public relations and advertising, it is not false to say that most practitioners want to arrogate professional knowledge to themselves as if green horns would never understand what they do. The same still applies in the print and broadcast sub-sector so much so that they are faced with the same old hands recycling their services from one media organization to the other. With this ugly development, the opportunities of new entries who would have brought innovations and creativity into the media sector are limited. In the same vein, staffing in public relations departments or units in most corporate organizations are exclusively reserved for those that are somewhat seen to have endless and door-opening contacts in the media. With this, most employers believe that engaging experienced public relations practitioners will put their press releases on a smooth sailing pedestal. As ignorant as most of them are, a press release gets a smooth sailing treatment only when it is well written with credible content and dispatch through due process.

Despite the fact that effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills are valuable in the workplace, and that some companies spend a lot of money to train their employees on how to effectively communicate, a company top executive who this writer once worked with as a Personal Assistant once chide him in pidgin English “Mr. Abia, no blow grammar too much, you think say na grammar I take open this company?” This is one of the problems Mass Communication graduates are facing in the corporate world. Even some Chief Executive Officers see communication as  inconsequential and this always make them to pay less attention to advertising and public relations budgets.