English or Communications? (bachelors, skills, degree, cost)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I recently started a thread about me getting my degree in English. I had some admission problems and problems with my degree plan. Well, I have these problems mostly ironed out. I picked English because it was something that I was interested in and it would not take me too long to graduate, but my true love is public relations. By luck, I found out that my old university started up a new program where you can take PR classes online however there are some pros and cons.
At the 1st school that I am attending, the classes are cheap and I only need 9 more classes after this semester. It is entirely online. I can take as many classes as I want. If I cannot take a class for whatever reason that semester, it will not hinder me. The cons are that I am nowhere close to the campus and they have been less than stellar on the way they have dealt with my studies. Not too many cons with this one.
At the second school, it will be more expensive and cost TWICE as much(at first) for maybe the first two semesters. At any time I can go from taking classes on campus or by doing them online, however I can only change my major ONCE from communications to communications online. The reason for this is that once I do this, the price drops to what I am paying for the first school(they have a deal with academic partnerships in texas) On top of this, I will be on a track and if for any reason I cannot take a class or pay for it, then I will have to wait a YEAR to take it again. There are no exceptions to this. I do know this school a bit better. The other problem is that instead of 9 classes like the first school, I will need to take 13 classes. To me, that is a lot. If you had a choice, which would you take and why?
Ps. At some point, probably next year, I will try to move. I need to have a school that is online and accessible. Btw, I just did the math and if I take 9 hours each long semester it will cost me 10k for the first degree and only a little under 5k for the other.
Communications will be slightly more marketable than English, but you will still have trouble finding a job if you don't have any experience. It is a very competitive field. You would need to work at internships while in school at the very least to have a chance of finding a relevant job afterward. Either way, you are basically gambling your money with the potential to get absolutely nothing in return. And the insistence on getting a BA instead of an MA makes no sense, but at least communications is more different and useful sounding than English. You need to make sure that you really are going to get training in the relevant skills, like social media and other things employers are looking for. Online classes are a little questionable.
Communications will be slightly more marketable than English, but you will still have trouble finding a job if you don't have any experience. It is a very competitive field. You would need to work at internships while in school at the very least to have a chance of finding a relevant job afterward. Either way, you are basically gambling your money with the potential to get absolutely nothing in return. And the insistence on getting a BA instead of an MA makes no sense, but at least communications is more different and useful sounding than English. You need to make sure that you really are going to get training in the relevant skills, like social media and other things employers are looking for. Online classes are a little questionable.
Agreed completely.
Communications will be more marketable than English, but without the experience you're still going to have difficulties finding even an entry level position. You need to be looking into doing internships or gaining experience while you obtain the degree. And as another poster said, it's more optimal to get a masters in communications. It's more specialized. It looks better. And gives you more of a competitive edge. If you're intent on the bachelors though(for cost reasons) make sure that while you get the degree you also focus on doing internships your going to need the experience.
You can major in anything and still go into PR. It depends on your experience more than the classes you take. If you were an employer, would you hire someone who majored in Communications or someone who has demonstrated experience and aptitude in the PR field (with or without the college degree)?
I have an English degree and have held jobs in insurance and journalism, among other places. Currently I work in marketing. I find an English degree to be very flexible, especially if you enjoy writing and are good at it. I've never had much trouble finding jobs with my degree and I'm just getting started.
If you want to go into PR I'd choose Communications. And take journalism classes. Learn how to ask questions and write and report. The people I've known in PR have a variety of backgrounds but, were it me, I'd pick Communications because you will learn more of the hands-on knowledge you'll need in that field.
Good luck!
p.s. Successful PR people are usually smart on a wide variety of subjects but focus on what they know best. The PR people I know in the entertainment industry can rattle off top 40 songs for the last 50 years and the box office numbers for every release this summer. They're total geeks and they use it to their advantage on the job. They're also GREAT at making, and using, contacts. Something they started doing in college.
PLEASE do not get a Comm degree. A comm degree is basically useless, it's too broad. You will qualify for "customer service rep" jobs with that degree. My therapist has an English degree, I know a man that works in banking management that has an English degree...If you must get a comm degree go into PR NOT journalism. Do some research on Journalism and you will see most of it is freelance and doesn't pay well. Everyone that takes Journalism thinks they will be on Fox News or writing for the Wall Street Journal out the gate and sorry it doesn't work like that at all.
I would only do communications at school that has a top program in it. If you are going to college to find yourself and are not concerned about immediate employment afterwards...choose either English or Comm.
If you will need a job that can pay the bills with security...I would think twice
English is very flexible, communications is a bit too broad. If you have a few other skills like programming you can always combine those skills together.
In reality there's no such thing as job security nowadays, just work smart.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
