Finally finding the job!!

My name is Curry Campbell and I just wanted to share with you a bit about why I chose my major, what it has meant to me, and how I have been able to use it in my newly budding professional life! 

I recently had the privilege of being hired at a company called Jupiter Entertainment in Knoxville, TN. Jupiter has offices in New York, LA, and Knoxville and they produce shows like “Sons of Guns,” “Snapped,” and “How it’s made.” After experiencing a lot of rejection in my job application process, I finally found a company that I could fully appreciate and feel welcome. 

Although finally finding the job I love did not come easy, I can honestly say that if I had not had the communication skills I learned in the College of Communications, I would not have taken being declined at companies so well. 

My college career started out much like many others. I had been told that many students  who major in Communication Studies go on to professional school, primarily law school. Because my dad was a lawyer, and because law school had been something that I considered seriously, I majored in Communication Studies and took every political science class I could. 

My love for politics, art, architecture, english, and history seemed to conveniently come together as I took more classes in communications, and with each semester, I grew more and more to love and appreciate my major.

For me, majoring in communications was a catch-all that allowed me to have a close-knit environment with my peers and with faculty members. I never thought that I would have such a close relationship with my teachers, or that they would be so helpful in spending extra time to make sure that I understood assignments or if I needed one-on-one help.

I highly recommend internships and independent studies under any of the communications professors. My advice in the pursuit of these things is to get a professional resume together early on, go to office hours and ask about specialized independent studies, and to not hesitate to apply for an internship, even if you feel unqualified.

That being said, I have used aspects of all the courses I have taken in the major in the short time that I have had a job. Looking back on my experience, there is very little busy work, or things that don't contribute to your professional career. Soak up every bit of information you can and make the best of it because it flies by!

Curry 

Helpful Tips for 499

As a senior within the Communications field and a current student of CMST 499, I have found that there are things one must do in order become successful within this major and throughout this course. First, although it may sound generic, DO NOT PROCRASTIC (I mean it.) During your time within the 499 course you are being tested on each and every assignment that you do, therefore, make each assignment count. You have very few assignments within this class and you must treat everyone of them as if it were the last exam and your grade counted on it. Secondly, when choosing the topic for your final paper, choose a topic in which you are truly interested in. 

This is of utmost importance due to the time and energy you will spend on this paper; you do not want to spend all your time researching a topic you have no interest in learning about; this will make for a miserable and agonizing semester. Lastly, I know that you are ready to be out of school and want nothing more than to hang out with friends and give UT the last hoorah it so deserves, however, give it your all. Push yourself into your courses and get it done; just as you had done when you first entered UT as a proud freshman. You owe it to yourself to make the grades and graduate with that grade point average you have worked so hard to gain, so that when you land that interview with your dream job you, won’t have any doubts that anything you had done in school was to be ashamed of or to hide including your grade point average. Some employers do ask and will ask when you least expect. 

Don’t sell yourself short. Enjoy your time within this course but always remember that the course within itself is a test in its entirety and the amount of work you do within the course will shine through at the end of the semester when you receive your grade. Enjoy! 

I graduated...Now what?

Graduation is a time for celebration, right? Well, for many, and myself included, it can also be a very scary time. By the time you graduate college you've spent your whole life up knowing what was coming next. Graduating from college seems to be one of the first times where we truly leave the comforts of the foreseeable future and travel deep into the unknown.

Post-graduation plans usually include looking for a job, but with a major as broad as communication studies it can be hard to know where to start looking. After some scrounging around I found some resources that are helpful to all of us Comm. Studies majors:

• Hire-a-vol Database
• Indeed.com
• CreativeJobsCentral
• UTK Career Center

I suggest looking for jobs on a daily basis. Keep a running list in an excel spreadsheet to help keep track of which jobs you have already applied for and the response you get back from the employers.

Luckily, after much searching and LOTS of no-responses, I finally found a job that I am excited about.

So my advice to you is:

• Don't get discouraged if you don't hear anything back
• Apply for as many jobs as possible, it increases your chances of getting hired
• Don't be afraid to apply for lots of jobs
• Every no brings you that much closer to a yes.
• Network!!

I hope my tips were helpful.... Good luck!!!

- Anna Hall, class of 2012