<p>so would going to the j-school as a strat comm major and an emerging media major be marketable? It would be a double major or double concentration i guess you could call it. Would this be a good idea for getting a job out of college? And is advertising dying? I thought it was growing</p>
<p>Right now advertising jobs are reportedly strong with outsourcing being a concern but that mean almost nothing to you and your job search in 4 years from now.
From an article this week "Procter & Gamble Co., the nation’s and world’s largest advertiser, recently reported that its worldwide ad spending jumped 8 percent to a record $9.3 billion in the year ended June 30. The company expects worldwide sales this fiscal year to increase 5 percent to 9 percent and vows to boost ad spending in line with sales growth—a bullish sign for media considering that P&G is the top U.S spender on cable TV and in magazines and the No. 2 advertiser on network TV. "
The article goes on to say “the ad industry employs 184,500 fewer people today than at the start of the recession in 2007”.
I wish someone on cc had a crystal ball and could predict what any industry will look like in 5 years.</p>
<p>I think many of us get concerned when a kid starts to narrow down too much, too early- many of the same core skills apply to various positions across this field and you have to cut your teeth. </p>
<p>If you were my kid, I’d agree with Owmom^- look to the school’s info, then speak with them. Let them help you get your bearings. Then look at sites like kdnc and other reputable programs, to learn from them. Equally important, see what the creative trends are. Good luck.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>All the information you are asking here of parents is available on the J-School’s website. I’ve had several lengthy (and frustrating) threads with other students interested in journalism who can’t seem to find their way to the school’s site and want parents to answer all their questions. I am experiencing Deja Vu with you. Are you sure you haven’t changed handles to revisit this topic? (BTW: Deja Vu is the name of a bar/dance club in Columbia, Mo., not far from the J-School.)</p>
<p>If you want to graduate from the nation’s oldest and finest Journalism School, you will need to show initiative. So here’s the main link. Look for yourself. Click on all the links. Use your head. Find your own answers. (And read about my sorority sister who won a Pulitzer at the age of 26.)</p>
<p>[Missouri</a> School of Journalism](<a href=“http://journalism.missouri.edu/]Missouri”>http://journalism.missouri.edu/)</p>
<p>Agree with LF - core skills within the industry from classes and job skills through internships. One thing I would caution against - take what the school says in terms of of placement with a grain of salt. They have a vested interest in “advertising” their job placement abilities so that you buy their product. Do your investigation independently within the industry or with alums.</p>
<p>to the guy who thinks PR is shrinking, look at this. [In-Demand</a> Business Careers - Yahoo! Education](<a href=“Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos”>Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos)</p>
<p>I said shrinking job opportunities (and salaries) with my contemporaries in PR - I am in my 50’s. One friend a grad from cornell, the other from columbia. Both are seeing a decline in their earning power.</p>
<p>great thread for those interested in this field…</p>
<p>D is a rising adv senior at Newhouse with digital experience from internships; has been told by employers all over the spectrum that this is the way to go…huge demand at the entry level…</p>
<p>OWM: right on target and point…</p>
<p>To the OP: do your research and come back with questions if the UMissouri website doesn’t answer them…</p>
<p>I own a PR and marketing company and our revenues are up. We are working at full capacity and will have to hire if I secure any new business. The challenge for traditional PR folks is keeping their skill sets current, adjusting fee schedules to market denmand, and understanding how the new media has changed the industry. My team has had to retool their skill set a couple of times over the past few years just to keep up with the changes inthe industry…even with all the changes, the fundamentals of corporate story telling are still solid, the tactics of getting the message out have expanded. We still do quite a bit of traditional PR but our growth is in new media and content development.</p>
<p>Check ou this WSJ article that came out last week [Web</a> Start-Ups Buoy Public-Relations Firms - WSJ.com](<a href=“Web Start-Ups Buoy Public-Relations Firms - WSJ”>Web Start-Ups Buoy Public-Relations Firms - WSJ) </p>
<p>So, uniman, if you are able to get a solid foundation and secure at least one or two internships in industries where markets are fragmented, then you should be marketable. Fragmented and markets going through consolidation always invest in PR. Their investment bankers make them. Particularly in a down market.</p>
<p>PM me if you want more info.</p>
<p>Yes, agree that for entry or lower level is rosy. Had dinner last night with top exec who said her younger new hires had amazing skills much in demand.</p>
<p>Momofboston is right on target. Our organization has also expanded its Comm. Dept. The future consumer receives way more communication that past generations. He or she just receives it in different forms.</p>
<p>Shoot, I had to learn to tweet last month to do my job. We had a conference where tweeting and texting during meetings was encouraged. We had text survey results projected on large screens during seminars and a rotating tweet wall during meals.</p>
<p>The whole social media stuff is easy once you immerse yourself in it…you just have to take the plunge. But I will say that there is no substitute for experience. The younger kids know how to work socialmedia channels but it takes lots of experience to package a corporate story and integrate it in a an entire program. I also don’t let my younger workers pitch seasoned journalists. It takes years to gain the skill sets necessary to interact with corporate management or a seasoned journalist.</p>
<p>You can pick up a copy of “What color is my Parachute” if you want to look at the current/predicted employment/career trends. If its your interest, go for it. Many people end up in different careers from their major down the road anyway.</p>
<p>Thing is, whether it’s posters talking about hiring or internships or about learning to tweet, you have to see the common thread: you have “get up and go,” a whole lotta flexibility, resiliance and resourcefulness.</p>
<p>My city was a 2ndary advertsising mecca until 911 drove up fears and drove down work. Digital media blossomed- but didn’t require the number of employees. Hey, sometimes it didn’t even require principals during lulls between contracts. The savvy scrambled. They learned fast about the new tech and reoriented themselves from print to web. Many left, many did pt work from home. </p>
<p>It’s a wonderful field- but too soon for OP to narrow things or even evaluate his competitive skills. OP, go look at the web sites mentioned here and more. Good luck.</p>
<p>ps. may young people know social media- but not many are at a level to get hired by a corp with complex needs. Most kids don’t even know how to set their own privacy. OP shouldn’t confuse his “familiarty with” social media versus his “expertise at” using the many tools behind the pages.</p>
<p>thank you all for this info. i am wondering, olderwisermom, is mizzou the place to go for this? I mean I know they have a top journalism school, but is it also top in this? When i think of journalism schools i think of news paper and tv anchors. Is mizzou a good place to go for communications? I know it is in the j-school and the j-school is top ranked, but I’m worried that the top ranking has to do with things like print and tv journalism, not strategic communications. So can you tell me how good the strat comm program is?</p>
<p>“Account managers for print media can be consummate sales professionals who often reflected the image of the magazine. The sports magazine ad sales is different from the fashion mag, from the news/ entertainment and from the house and garden types. You can almost guess which magazine they work for in the elevator. They are well paid.”</p>
<p>This is all true, but the OP isn’t talking about becoming a sales rep for a mag. He’s talking about being an account exec at an agency. </p>
<p>But these fields are all somewhat incestuous to one another.</p>
<p>I think it is great that you are looking toward the future in a practical way, but echo someone else’s post about specializing early. I know that among my kids and their friends, ideas about career changed a lot at your age. Plus, as you seem to know intuitively, the job market and career definitions are rapidly changing as well.</p>
<p>I would look at schools that might satisfy a number of your possible interests, both academic and career, and also offer other factors that you prefer, such as location, size, and vibe.</p>
<p>When you get to college, try out some courses in the area you think you are interested in, but also stay flexible and explore. Overplanning can actually mean losing out on some opportunities.</p>
<p>uniman: Go to the link I included earlier and read about the Strategic Communications sequence yourself. Read the J-School’s news releases about Addies and other awards won by Strat Com majors. I can’t answer whether a school is best for you. Only you can decide that.</p>
<p>Another aspect to consider is that a Mizzou, you don’t enter the J-School until you have junior standing. You will be required to take a broad spectrum of liberal arts and science classes your first two years. So if you change your mind about your major, you have not invested two years of study in classes that would apply to something else.</p>
<p>Also look at Medill’s graduate programs in communications – not because they are directly relevant to you, but the language might help you understand what it is you spark to and don’t spark to.</p>
<p>These are all great suggestions - I would recommend any program that focuses on writing, public speaking and gives you a chance to do co-op or an internship. Crafting a story and having the abitlity to communicate it are essential elements for these professions. I would also suggest looking into ECs that revolve around story telling…</p>