What does a communications major do in his free time?
Talk? Sign? Exchange looks over pasta? In all honesty, do most communication majors sit at a desk all day exchanging emails, reading graphs, and plan for meetings? I wouldn't mind doing so for a part of my day, I'd just prefer being more hands on and up close with what work with other people is being done. #communications #pasta #upclose #inperson
4 answers
Celeste Torello
Celeste’s Answer
Read! (you can even read while eating pasta). It doesn't even have to be articles about communications -- any kind of journalism, fiction, non-fiction, blogs -- whatever interests you. The more you read, the more you'll understand the many ways to write and communicate, and it'll help you find your voice. I also suggest watching great speeches (not just TED talks, historical speeches as well). This will help you understand what makes a speaker compelling, and listen for nuances that will guide you in perhaps writing for someone else someday.
Alexandra’s Answer
You don't need to dedicate 100% of your time to learning about communications, you can treat it like any other field of study - focus on it during class time & homework time & simply consider it in passing during personal time. It has always been helpful to me to try to observe the phenomena in everyday life or better yet, discuss what you learn with other people - that will help you learn the material more thoroughly.
I'm not really sure what you mean by "exchanging looks over pasta," but as an Italian, I can tell you that doing anything involving pasta is usually a good idea :)
Isaac’s Answer
Read Read Read. Read everything and anything. Books, news, sports, comics, blogs, magazines, etc. and etc.. As a communications professional you're going to write A LOT. Reading is a great way to learn how language works. You can pick up so much from a steady diet of reading, much more even than what you'd learn in a dozen English classes.
Alex’s Answer
I would also say find a specific area of communications you're interested in (writing, media, graphics, whatever) and hone those skills. Join the school newspaper or find a non-profit who needs graphic design help. Experience is key!