When I first started at Penn State, I had no idea what I wanted to major in or a career path I wanted to follow. I didn’t enjoy math or science and knew I would not be happy pursuing those paths. I was told, however, that pursuing a career in the subjects I did enjoy would make no money in and be doomed to be in debt forever.
I decided to start out as a computer science major. Having a little background in coding and not a super strong interest in knowing how to code, this was a big mistake. I realized right away I needed to have a serious talk with my advisor because I felt no draw towards one career path versus another.
My advisor ended up introducing me to the telecommunications degree at Penn State, which I quickly discovered was the right path for me.
More often than not when I tell people that I am majoring in telecommunications, they have no idea what that is. My simplest answer is that telecom is all things related to communications with a technology focus. While this is true, it doesn’t give great insight into what one can do with a degree in this field.
So here are five careers that people with a degree in telecommunications can do.
Television and Film
The most obvious thing one can do with a degree in telecommunications is going into television. Whether one wants to be behind the camera or in front of it, at Penn State one can be equipped with the knowledge to do both.
One can get broadcasting experience, writing and production experience or even technical experience. Almost any position that can be thought of in the television or film industry, a telecommunications degree can help get there.
Radio and Podcasting
Radio is a very popular field that telecom majors look into. However, the radio business is declining, but the podcast business is booming.
So if someone is interested in this field, or they have been told that “you have a face for radio” (trust me you’re beautiful), looking into the podcasting industry can’t hurt. Radio and podcasts can be a very rewarding business to get into, especially if one has a passion for talking.
Management
A telecommunications manager can be in various telecom industries. One can be in newspaper administration, music management, television management, radio management, digital marketing management or communications software development just to name a few.
There are technical telecommunication managers that oversee the installation of a company’s communication services. One can work in the human resources or even the finance department of a telecom firm if they have the skillset for it.
There are plenty of opportunities to get into the business side of the telecommunications world.
Marketing
This is the particular part of telecommunications that I am interested in for my career path. While you can get a marketing job with a telecom company, a lot of telecom majors are looking into digital and social media marketing.
Digital marketing is a growing field which makes it a great opportunity for recent graduates to try to get into. With the fast-paced ever-changing internet, many companies are looking to hire digital marketers to expand and retain their customer reach.
Product & Software Development
Another popular side of the telecommunications industry is the technical side of it. The degree Penn State offers is not designed to teach their students how to code or develop software specifically, but pair it with a minor in information science and technology, and one can be very well versed in the technical aspects of the internet and phone technology.
Having this knowledge can allow one to work for tech and software development companies in all sorts of positions, and can put them above other candidates that may not have the same background.
These are just a few things that one can do with a telecommunications degree. There are so many more options, the field is really full of limitless opportunities. So if you’re interested in pursuing a telecommunications degree, do your research, talk with an advisor and explore all the possibilities it can offer.