Communication is integral to our life. Studies in Media and Communication methods offer fascinating career opportunities today, covering the whole range of it, starting from print to the hi-tech web medium.

Advertising

The Advertising professionals are popularly identified as ‘ideas people’ who communicate information about a product, service or a message through various mediums in attractive manner. They design communications in order to promote an idea and opinion. The ad-makers probe into the consumers’/people’s minds and make them buy the ideas communicated by them. Their main aim is to promote sales of all kinds of products keeping the image of a company/organisation or activity intact in the public mind.

Aptitudes that help

A thinking mind, creative, confident, strong on concept and language skills can strike the right chord in Advertising. In addition, one must have a good grasp of social behavioural pattern, and an ability to work under pressure.

Career avenues

Advertising agencies, private or public sector companies, advertising sections of newspapers, journals and magazines, market research organisations, commercial division of radio/television are areas where one can find a work opportunity. According to one’s specialised study, one can work as a copywriter, visualiser, and media/marketing/accounts executive to start with. Key departments in an ad agency are creative, client service, finance and media relations.

How to get through

Postgraduate Diploma programmes in advertising of 1-2 year durations are offered by many institutes which can be pursued by students inclined towards a career in advertising. Some courses are affiliated to Mass Communications Studies.

A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with minimum 50% marks is the basic requirement to enter into Postgraduate Programmes and the selection is done through entrance tests or interviews. But rather than a professional course in these subjects, relevant personal aptitudes take you a long way in your career in this field.

Applied Art

Applied art is that part of fine art where an artist applies his creative talent to commercially viable activities. Art being a means of thought expression is invariably utilised to communicate ideas or create things of every day use, aesthetically. Hence, starting from designing of a product to the making of programmes for our entertainment, applied art extends creative solutions to our varied requirements.

Aptitudes that help

Giving artistic expression to any work requires finer sensibility towards happenings in one’s surroundings, imaginativeness and a certain degree of originality of thoughts, an ability to adapt one’s artistic talent to various creative applications are essential for an applied artist. Expertise in computer design software and Multimedia tools is a must for the artist, today.

Career avenues

Creative Art has found an amazing range of application in today’s life. If the branch of fine art has, traditionally, been confined to derive artistic satisfaction through expression of one’s creative thoughts, the applied version of it has opened up excellent professional opportunities for the artist as a bonus.

An applied artist specialising in areas such as graphics, photography, ceramic and pottery designing, textile designing, plastic arts, product designing, exhibition, communication designing or painting can establish himself/herself in creatively satisfying and paying professions. Design houses, creative cells of textile, leather, ceramic and furniture companies, advertising agencies, newspaper, magazine and publishing industries, packaging industries, interior decoration consultancies, television and film sectors hold out prospective avenues for them.

Art restoration is a relatively new activity where an applied artist can find a professionally satisfying future.

How to get through

Students going for professional degree courses of Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), generally of 5-year duration, and Master of Fine Arts, of 2-year duration, have to appear for entrance tests which are meant for verification of their basic aesthetic talents.

After completion of 10th/equivalent, one can go for a 5-year BFA course in various colleges and institutions of India.

One can opt for the 4-year School Leavers Professional Education Programme (SLPEP) or a 5-year integrated programme in Communication Design/Textile Design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, after completing 10th standard/equivalent.

Prospects

Starting from a tooth-brush to the packet containing our food stuffs and the shoes we wear to the books we read, all are examples of meticulous design works. Not only that, to promote these objects in market, or to communicate the ideas about the product, also, involves ingenious design work. Most of the professional designers, today, have a background in applied art. Computer Added Design and Multimedia Technology (2D, 3D, Special Effects & Animation) have become indispensable tools for an artist who can work as a graphic designer, illustrator, product designer, fashion and accessory designer, interior and exterior designer or work for films, television and other video productions as graphics designer or animator. The scope is vast.

Event Management

Event Management as the term implies is about organising an event viz; product launching.

ceremonies, conferences, seminars, live entertainment, fashion shows etc., suitably conceived to fulfill the theme and objectives of the programme. The process of event management includes event creation, venue management, event marketing, office management, event day management etc. An exciting career with lots of challenges and deadlines, is open for an aspirant who wishes to study professional Event Management.

Aptitudes that help

An event manager often has to work on meeting deadlines and balancing many tasks at the same time. Excellent interpersonal, organisational, marketing and presentation skills, and a knack for effective time management are required to stage an event successfully. Above all, one should have an ability to work under demanding situations.

How to get through

Since, the work of an event manager combines almost all streams of mass communication— advertising, marketing, public relations, a good amount of research, planning the presentation of the whole event, preparing press releases etc., a degree in mass communication/ advertising/PR after a good grounding in social sciences, humanities/English at graduation level is helpful for someone wishing to take up a career in event management.

Career avenues

An expert in event management would like to have his/her professional outfit. He can organise group tours in India and abroad, create, manage and handle events concerning educational institutions and large corporations. Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Television and Film production companies, travel agencies, hotel industry, marketing departments of corporate houses and various event management companies are the avenues for an event manager.

Journalism

The journalists are walking among us from the day when the print media caught the imagination of the modern world. The journalists may work at their desks or in the field depending on the nature of their assignments. Their jobs involve gathering, processing and presentation of news and information in a style. medium’s nature. Whichever may be the medium—print/electronic, a career in journalism promises social recognition.

Aptitudes that help

To be established as a journalist, one should have a flair for language, very good writing and speaking skills, an open mind, resourcefulness, interest in varied subjects and an ability to sum up people and facts quickly. As journos have the challenge to present maximum information in stipulated time, they have to be sharp in using language with brevity and have a sense of timing.

Career avenues

Journalism is regarded as the ‘fourth estate’ for its instant and deep impact on people’s views and their lives. A professional journo works in Newspapers, News Agencies/ Bureaus, Periodicals, Radio, Television and Websites. Starting from a trainee journalist, one can rise up the ladder to become the chief editor in his/her respective medium of communication. One has the option of pursuing a career in journalism, freelancing for different mediums. In this age of specialisation, students from core technical, financial or medical subjects with (sometimes without, also) a professional degree in journalism are in great demand for the jobs like specialist correspondents or editors both in print and electronic media.

How to get through

Undergraduate courses in journalism are provided in a number of universities and private educational institutes in India. One has the option of pursuing short-term and full-time diplomas or PG programmes in journalism in English/Hindi after completing his/her graduation/post graduation. Most of the institutes/universities select students on the basis of their language skills and knowledge on current affairs through entrance tests. Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, the premier institutes offering journalism courses in print and electronic mediums conduct two-stage national level tests to induct students into their course programmes.

One can always opt for correspondence courses from leading institutes/universities like IGNOU, Anna University, TN, Madurai Kamaraj University, TN, Sambalpur University, Orissa etc which carry admirable acceptance in the market.

Journalism course programmes in special subjects like social development, agri-journalism (MANAGE, Hyderabad) etc. are offered in select institutes of India.

Public Relations

Public Relations is keeping in good touch with people, you or your company come to interact with. In a constantly growing image conscious world, Public Relations lays stress on image building exercises. A PR professional of an organisation serves as the link to the opinion of the public regarding the products and services it is providing. PR professionals handle public affairs, media relations of their companies and are required do research and analysis on various relevant subjects.

Aptitudes that help

A PR aspirant should have a way with people from different backgrounds and a pleasant and sociable nature. Good communication (both in writing and speaking), well-informed in current affairs (political & business), a cool disposition, ability to organise things well and to work under pressure are skill-sets which are the pre-requisites of a person in the profession of Public Relations.

Career avenues

Public/private and corporate sectors, hotel industries, government departments, banks and other financial institutions, non-commercial organisations, consultancy firms, and the like, appoint public relation personnel. They can also work as independent consultants on part time basis for these organisations. With the rapid growth of business and various industries, PR professionals are in great demand in every sector. The PR executives can rise up to top levels of management in a corporate set-up.

How to get through

Those who specialise in PR courses (integrated or independent) have better prospects in getting into regular jobs. One, desirous of a career in Public Relations, may opt for a study in journalism and Mass Communications where PR constitute a part, or may opt for a specialised course programme in Public Relations/ Corporate Communications. It pays to get one’s degree from an institute of repute.