Career and Postgraduate Opportunities
Students pursue diverse career opportunities in wide-ranging
fields related to communication. Career choices by majors include work in
broadcast or print media; journalism; personnel or human resource development;
social service work; speech writing; law; legislative work; community
organizing; public relations; advertising; sales; management; and
teaching. Communication Studies
majors have taken risks, too. Ashley Trainer ’09 appeared
on “Survivor” and talks here about those experiences. KP Anderson ’91, currently the head
writer and executive producer E!’s The
Soup, discovered his talent for comedy while a Comm Studies student. His track record includes an Emmy for his work on the Wayne Brady Show. We are proud of our grads, and all they
have done.
Meet a Graduate
Emily ’05
My college and career
experience is a story of risks. My first risk was when I came to Hamline,
since I had no idea what major was the right fit for me. I decided I
needed to take classes in a variety of areas to determine what major I wanted
to pursue. One of the first classes I took was Introduction to
Communication Theory. The theories were interesting to me, and the class really
helped me develop good study habits for the rest of my college career. After
taking a few more communication studies classes, I decided that was the perfect
major for me.
Before
deciding on a career, I knew that completing an internship in the communication
studies field would be very important. I always thought that my
communication studies degree would lead me into a public relations field, so I
began my internship search in that field. The career development center
counselors and job postings on their website helped me find an internship at a
public relations firm in Burnsville. The internship went well, but it made me
realize that a career in public relations was definitely not for me.
After my internship, I knew I needed to become serious about deciding what type of career would be the best for me given my skill set and interests. During my senior year, I completed an honors project in communication studies. Working on that project gave me the confidence and knowledge that I could take risks in my life and be successful. In the winter of my senior year, I was granted the opportunity to purchase a stock photography agency. I decided that this opportunity was something I really wanted to try even though it was a significant risk. I purchased “Photophile Stock Photography” in the spring of 2004; I use my communication skills to buy and sell photography to publishing companies. The best advice I can give to Hamline students is to try different classes and careers to see where you will fit, even if doing so goes against your original plans. I look back on my college and career experiences and know that following a preset major and career path from high school would have limited my personal growth.