Director's Welcome to Undergraduates
What kind of app are you?
Today, the "app" for the iPhone, iPod or any form of PDA or computer is an appropriate metaphor for our lives and careers. When I graduated from college, I thought in terms of getting a job somewhere and expected I would remain at that company or within that field for years, maybe a lifetime. I hoped I would "work my way up" some corporate ladder.
But now it is commonly recognized by researchers and professionals alike that today's college graduate faces a world of vertical and horizontal uncertainty. You have no idea who will give you your first job after college graduation or whether, a few years later, you might be working in a completely different profession. It follows that schools of journalism and mass communication such as ours need to prepare students with a whole range of mental and physical skill sets that could apply to the wide variety of employment in communications, industries or even media entrepreneurship.
A key point in all this is conceptualizing yourself as an app, or rather a set of ever-changing applications that employers will want to add to their company and, once they have added you, will make them feel as though you are irreplaceable.
You will be so valuable to them because you mix versatility and specialization. Years ago, in my undergraduate days, a friend of mine attended journalism school and learned how to be a video camera operator. He then looked forward to an entire career of running a camera for TV news programs. Now, you may very well have to use a wide range of technical skills, whether working for public relations, advertising, marketing, health communication, political communication, or any of the traditional areas of news and information, including sports and journalism.
At the same time, you will need to develop some specialties, something that makes you the go-to guy or gal in one particular area or talent. Think of it as being a master or mistress of many trades but a true wizard in a few.
Developing new skills and talents, however, should not come at the cost of perennial attributes that will make you a truly great communicator, whatever you are communicating. Think about it this way: There are now some 250 million people on Facebook; almost all of them are creating and giving away content for free. If you want to create content in your career life and have somebody pay you for it, you are going to have to be much more talented and creative than the average uploader, Tweeter, poster, or sharer. Learning core applied principles of ethics and integrity, embracing diversity, and top-notch picturing, writing, planning and managing media content are absolutely necessary if you are going to be a professional rather than a lifelong, unpaid amateur.
Finally, don’t be discouraged by stories you read about "the death of journalism." All industries are restructuring and recasting themselves, from health care to automotive manufacturers to news organizations. But by being a talented and ingenious communicator, you have significant advantages over students in practically any other business or major.
First, while entire areas of the economy are shrinking, there will always be a need--and a need for ever more--communicators. Try to think of a single company or industry that doesn't require someone to help it conceptualize, craft, execute and distribute its messages, internally and externally.
Second, communications is an area that is infinitely adaptable, flexible and open to innovation. While it would be incredibly difficult and expensive for you to start up your own engineering firm or car company straight out of college, with a laptop and an iPhone you can instantly be a freelance or hired communicator.
Most important, communications industries want you. I spoke to one of our alumni recently who works at a large advertising company. He described the workplace as "college with just a few adults." He elaborated that most of the staff at the company were twenty-somethings and that he was practically the only person there over 40. When communications companies do hire, they look for bright young people to lead them into the digital future. That is also a huge differential from practically any other profession. Nobody in accounting, law or medicine believes that the recent grad is much more knowledgeable than the seasoned veteran. But everybody in the media business assumes that an Iowa J-MC student will, for example, be able to create for them a smart and sleek social media presence.
In short, we want to help you be the best set of apps that you can be, now and in the future. We feel that the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Iowa will be a leader in revolutionizing the way academia helps prepare students for the future. We believe that you will join us in leading that revolution. Onward!
--Best wishes, DDP
David D. Perlmutter, Ph.D.
Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Professor & Starch Faculty Fellow