UW-Stevens Point senior communication major Meghan Blythe
UW-Stevens Point senior Meghan Blythe leads a United Way meeting as part of her internship with Associated Financial Group.

UW-Stevens Point communication majors set for success

Most of us think we know how to communicate. However, students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point are finding it takes intense study and experience to develop effective listening, writing and speaking skills.
 
Just ask senior Meghan Blythe, Brookfield, who has already turned her study of organizational communication into a job as a business development analyst with Associated Financial Group when she graduates in December.
 
“Organizational and interpersonal communication speak to my strengths,” Blythe said. “The courses teach you about interviewing, intercultural communication, research, training and professional business writing. These are all transferable skills that employers are looking for.”
 
Communication professors Jim Haney and Chris Sadler agree.
 
“The research is clear,” Haney said. “Since World War II, the top abilities sought by employers have been good written and oral communication skills. With those you can succeed anywhere.”
 
UW-Stevens Point communication majors have an average placement rate of 90 percent. Those studying communication find jobs in public relations, personnel, information technology, training, sales, management and customer relations and service, Sadler said. Public relations jobs are projected to grow 12 percent by 2022.
 
Sadler said entry-level salaries for graduates start in the mid-to-high $30,000 range. An opportunity to make six-digit salaries exists in public relations if employees are willing to work hard and pursue management roles, said Haney, as communication courses prepare students to manage people effectively.
 
“Organizational communication classes have great value because students gain more experience in how to talk to specific audiences and get things done,” Sadler said.
 
Sadler’s organizational communication classes offer hands-on experiences and team projects that connect students with community and campus groups. Blythe’s class took part in an analysis of the Registrar’s Office at UW-Stevens Point.
 
Blythe managed a team that led focus groups and interviews with Registrar staff. “I learned how to lead a team of people with different work ethics and personalities, how to assign work, manage my time, coordinate schedules and learn from conflict,” she said. “The project was very relatable to what I’ll be doing on the job.”
 
Internships are a major component of the communication major, with most students working two or more. “More than 60 percent of all college graduates nationally have internships before graduation,” said Haney. “Increasingly, those internships become your last interview for taking on that job full time.”
 
UW-Stevens Point 2013 alumna Sami Sauerman studied public relations and worked two internships while attending classes, including a job at Wriglesworth Consultancy in London, England. After graduation, she took a third internship with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in Los Angeles, a major international PR firm. The experience led to a position as an assistant account executive and within a year, she was promoted to an account executive.
 
“My internships, organizations and courses at UW-Stevens Point prepared me for my job at Ogilvy PR,” said Sauerman, who developed close relationships with her professors and professionals through the Public Relations Student Society of America. “They helped me become proactive and chase my own opportunities.”
 
Blythe was offered her full-time job with Associated Financial Group after interning there two summers and part-time during the school year. Recently, her work has increasingly become more independent and structured around her writing and speaking skills. Her responsibilities have included researching and interviewing prospective companies for a new software purchase then presenting her top choices to colleagues.
 
“My major helped me learn how to communicate effectively in a time where we have so many mediums for that – social media, email, skype and face-to-face,” Blythe said. “I’m ready to graduate. I feel prepared for the workforce.”