Communicational studies have come a long way in the last two decades, especially with the improvements in technology. As an individual wanting to study communication, it’s important to consider the career paths that open up to you with this qualification.
Ask yourself what you want to do with this qualification and if that is something you’d be happy doing for most of your life.
To help you, we’ve compiled a list of jobs in the communications industry that you can do with a certificate in communications.
What does a course in communication cover?
Before we discuss careers though, let’s get an idea of what this course will cover so we can choose a job accordingly. As an overview, you’ll study the fundamentals of communication and the various fields of communication in the world today.
Most certificate qualifications will cover aspects that surround communication.
This will include fundamental subjects like communication types, strategies, and how to utilize social media or digital communication. Then, there are more advanced subjects like communicational ethics, business communication, and communication in crisis.
Career paths you can take with a certificate in communication
Here are a few career paths you can take with a graduate certificate of communications under your belt:
Communications Officer
First up, we have a communications officer. As a communications officer, your primary role in a company would be to communicate clearly for the company or organization with others.
This might require you to talk to investors, clients, and suppliers, or relay information to marketing. Individuals in this role can expect an average salary of $75,000 to &$90,000 per year depending on the company you work for.
These are a few skills you’d need to develop to be a good communications officer:
- As a communications officer, you’ll be overseeing press releases and other written resources that are seen by many people. So, having good editing and writing skills will be invaluable
- This one might seem like a no-brainer, but you need to have good communication skills
- You need to have quick problem-solving skills to provide solutions for issues that arise
- As a person who’ll often be in communication with investors or customers, you need to have pretty good social skills.
Public Relations Officer
You can also work in public relations with a graduate certificate in communications. As a public relations officer, you’d be primarily responsible for managing the business or organization’s reputation to the public.
This means you’d be heavily involved in marketing for companies, managing what marketing takes place and the image that the company gives to its audience. Public relations officers get an average of $90,000 per year.
In public relations, you’ll be working with people on a regular basis while trying to reach other people. So, having a good understanding of how people do things will be relatively helpful. Here are some other skills that would be helpful to have in this line of work:
- You need to be a self-starter, capable of promoting the company brand and running with unique marketing tactics
- Able to explain the outcomes of PR marketing strategies and achieve those outcomes
- Manage and coordinate events
- Effectively network to expand the brand and bring in more business
Communications Advisor
With any business, successful marketing is the key to success. As a communications advisor, you’d be responsible for advising businesses on the best way to communicate with the public and other organizations to further their business or better their reputation.
This role might sound similar to the other two mentioned above, but it dives deeper into marketing.
As an advisor, your role is primarily to help businesses strategize in their market to ensure they’re always representing themselves in a way that builds their business. According to the
Successful marketing and communications are essential for business growth.
In light of The CMO Survey’s annual report, almost 72% of Australian-owned businesses showed support for marketing their businesses because of the outcome.
As a communications advisor, you’d be right in the middle of helping businesses create an effective marketing strategy, gain support from investors, and deliver quality marketing.
At the moment, this job sounds very broad, right? So, what exactly does a communications advisor do on a day-to-day basis? While this might differ depending on the company, here’s what their days would normally look like:
- Design and implement successful communication plans
- Oversee all communication channels
- Oversee media relations and make new ones
- Manage events
- Work with senior management teams to provide counseling
- Strategies with the marketing team to produce quality content
- Establish connections with suppliers
As you can imagine, communication advisors play a significant role in marketing for businesses. So, it’s no surprise that they’d earn a decent salary as a result. As a communications advisor, you can expect to get a salary of up to $97,500 per year.
Final thoughts
Working in communications can be a fast-paced, exciting job, perfect for people who enjoy working with others. It’ll often require you to have great social skills and the ability to sell an idea well.
Also, you need to have a good understanding of what people want. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in communication, be sure to check what other career options are available to you, too. There are definitely more out there to consider.