Jared Chung
CareerVillage.org TeamCan I start a career in community management right after college?
How common is that? What would the job be called? If it's _possible_ but _uncommon_ , it would also help a lot to understand what the "normal" career path is to getting started in community management.
_This is part of a question series for CMX Summit to highlight exciting careers in community management. If you are interested in a career in community management, now would be a good time to ask a question of your own!_ #community-management
2 answers
Abhishek K N
Abhishek’s Answer
- Build and Participate in Your Own Communities
The single best way to become a better community builder is to just start building and participating in communities. That’s the beauty of community building, anyone can do it.
A great example is Crystal Coleman, the Director of Community at TownSquared who got started as a moderator on a forum she participated in, “I got my first community gig through a mod on a forum I was a member of (about Buffy the Vampire Slayer) whose company was a wiki platform looking for mods. It was for a wiki about LOST. And that’s how it all started.”
I got my first experience building online communities through video games. Back in middle school, I played way too much Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 and started a clan with a couple of my friends. We started recruiting members and launched a forum that anyone could participate in. It became really popular and, for a while, was one of the most active THPS4 forums online.
So don’t wait to get a job to start building communities. Start now. Launch a facebook group for something you’re interested in. Organize a club or an event. Just start.
- Write. A lot.
Community professionals have to be great writers and communicators.
You’ll likely be creating a lot of content like blog posts, help articles, and guidelines. Every time you want to facilitate conversations online, you’re going to be writing. So refine your writing skills and then refine them some more.
The bonus of writing a ton is that it will also get you recognized. Every opportunity I’ve had in my career came as a direct or indirect result of my writing. When you write about something, people will perceive you as an expert, and it gives you a huge leg up when you’re interviewing for jobs.
The double bonus is that it makes you smarter. It makes you research and think through different ideas and subjects in your head so you can better understand it, and speak to it more clearly.
- Read and Learn
There’s a lot of information out there to help you wrap your head around how to build communities.
Sarah Schaaf
Sarah’s Answer
An entry level community position to look for might be Community Intern or Community Manager. You might also start as a Moderator in a community and be able to grow from there. Keep an eye on the skill requirements for open roles and find ways to line your personal experiences into those skills if you don't have as much professional experience yet.