What I Learned in Grad School is...
- Benjamin Katz
- Jun 9, 2023
- 5 min read
Reflecting on my Grad School Experience and Beginning a Career in Mass Communication
Last month, I graduated from the University of Florida’s online Master of Arts in Mass Communication (MAMC) program. I can’t believe I’m already done with the program, but I guess that’s the advantage of being a full-time student.
As someone whose undergrad education was in sociology, I didn’t have any experience nor knowledge in the field of mass communication until I became a student again.
Now that I have officially graduated, I want to reflect on my experience in grad school. Not only did I learn about public relations (PR) and social media, but I also learned valuable skills and lessons that I will carry with me as I begin my career.
Public Relations and Building a Campaign
Specializing in PR taught me a lot about how companies can build strong relationships with their consumers. I developed hypothetical communication campaigns for brands I love—particularly the Walt Disney Company and Nintendo.
I learned each part that makes up a campaign, from conducting a situational analysis to determine opportunities of growth to defining the target audience that the strategy’s messaging would be tailored to. It helped me understand public relations practice while strengthening my research and writing skills.
As PR and mass communication are all about people, understanding a company or client’s target audience is vital to the success of a campaign. The truth is that you cannot appeal to everyone. Attempting to do so is somewhat equivalent to throwing darts with your eyes closed, hoping one hits a bullseye. Instead, you want to capitalize on likely consumers and buyers.
Think about it for a second: would you try to sell dog food to people who don’t have dogs at home? Of course not, because there’s no return for advertising a product to someone who would likely not purchase it.
To understand your audience, your goal is to pinpoint demographics and psychographics. You’ve probably heard of demographics, which are identification markers of people—race, sex, gender, household income, age. Psychographics identify people by their interests, lifestyles, beliefs. We are driven by our interests when making a purchase, so gathering psychographics can help you better determining the purchasing behavior of your audience.
From there, you can personify the ideal consumer with audience personas, which can help you get a better idea as to how to appeal to and engage with them in the means of communication you choose to employ, like social media content or blog posts.
Using Social Media to Network
Aside from learning about the fields of PR and social media, I learned valuable lessons that I believe will help me make progress as I begin my career.
When it comes to applying for jobs, it can be important to reach out to your professional network for leads or recommendations. During my time as a student, I got better at networking and started to build mine on social media. While LinkedIn is a great platform for professional networking, I actually use Twitter to connect with others working in the industry I want to work in.
I think I’ve always been more comfortable sharing my interests on Twitter because the content is shorter and the conversations are quicker. I also participated in Twitter chats to introduce myself to others and to continue learning from people actually working in PR and social media. Plus, Twitter is where news tends to break and where trends tend to spread. If you’re looking to begin a career in mass communication, keeping up on trends is a valuable skill to have.
Advice From Me and Twitter
As a student, I would ask each of my instructors for advice on beginning my career. I have been told to work on my online presence so that I like what comes up when potential employers search for me. Working on my portfolio was another suggestion I have gotten.
I would go further and suggest finding what makes you stand out and just run with it. We all have our own experiences and thoughts, so why not share them? When it comes to building an online presence, try to build a brand that allows you to express yourself. If you establish yourself as a leader in the niche or industry you want to work in, your expertise will keep you front of mind for potential employers.
The way I began building my personal brand was by creating my website where I showcase my work and share my experience as a mass communication professional.
I know it can be difficult at times to ask for help, so I decided to ask Twitter users for any additional advice they could offer. Here are some responses I got:
Networking isn’t the easiest thing to do. It can come off as inauthentic or even opportunistic. People can spot fake interaction from a mile away. Tod Meisner emphasizes the importance of networking. You don’t want your connection to be transactional; it will not last. Build a relationship with professionals. People love to share their experiences. How you treat other people is what they will remember you for.
Learning doesn’t have to stop when you graduate and are no longer a student. As Danny Quin points out, the field of mass communication is constantly changing, so it is our job to keep up. Adaptability is a great skill to have in this industry, and you will avoid falling behind.
I cannot agree more with Sabrina Ram’s advice to try different areas of mass communication. My specialization was in PR, I took on a social media graduate certificate, and I interned for a boutique digital marketing agency where I did a lot of copywriting. It’s all about finding what you do and like best, and you will find that having the experience in the various facets of the field helps you stand out as a job applicant. I loved my internship because I got to work with clients in different industries. I learned so much about how to write for clients that have very different audiences.
The sector I want to work in one day is entertainment.
I am grateful for my time in the program and all the instructors I had the opportunity to learn from. I went back to school with the plan to set myself up to succeed after graduating better than I did as an undergrad. It was a greater experience than I ever expected, and I feel much more confident and prepared.
I can’t wait to see where my career goes from here.
Now that I graduated from grad school, I am ready to put my skills and experience to work. If you’re looking to grow your business into a leader in your industry, I can help you showcase your brand’s personality and expertise with entertaining and informative blog and social media content that engage your target audience.
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