Finding work in unkind climates

Oh, I get it now. 1. Public relations: Like when GlaxoSmithKline's full-oage ad intonates that Paxil will help you feel like "yourself" again (in *big bold letters*) and later, in an essay the size of my thumbnail, warns that it may permanently close your rectal cavity. 2. Crisis communications: Like when our glorious leader tells us that he won't rest, and that he's doing everything possible, until the Mexican Gulf oil spill is stopped. And yet, the Louisiana governor proposed at least 5 different emergency measures that didn't receive federal emergency funding. (Perhaps this isn't the best example of *effective* crisis communication...) 3. Health Communications: Like how we were all supposed to be stone-cold dead from swine flu by now, and there are, what?, a billion doses of Tamaflu in CDC stockpiles that will expire before the next flu season. No, no, Jay... I *totally* get it now. The communications major's job is to wordsmith prepare delivery of lies with misplaced confidence that 99% of the message recipients are fools who can't distinguish a paragraph from a parachute. Indeed, a comm degree does go much further: How to *lie* to people, and get away with it (most of the time).

Dr. Mike, I appreciate your sentiment, however I must say that it is somewhat misguided. I have had no problem finding work with a degree in communications, and have even started my own successful communications company in the middle of a recession. A communication degree goes much farther than "learn how to talk to somebody," which is a common over-simplification of what a communication expert does. Presentations skills and public address are a component of what you would learn in a communication degree track, but there are other skills and concentrations that are highly sought after in industry and valuable to any organization. I will provide a few examples: 1. Public relations: when a company designs and launches a new product, who do they call? They call a public relations firm to help increase awareness and generate sales. 2. Crisis Communications: When a chemical engineer makes a huge mistake and blows up half of the building that the company owns, what happens behind the scenes? Well, hopefully the company leadership was savvy enough to hire a crisis communication professional, who would have designed a plan to quickly notify workers of the impending danger, and they would make it to safety. 3. Health Communications: When an infectious disease hits a major city, who does the CDC turn to to disseminate strategic messages? You guessed it. Whether it is training customer service representatives, creating logical arguments for an attorney, or writing a speech for a politician, a communication expert is valuable for every industry. Another major benefit of studying communications is learning how to make intelligent arguments and not relying on ad-hominems in interactions. People tend to heed your perspectives more when you don't come off like an arrogant individual. Best regards,

Yes, thank god people and organizations don't have communication problems that necessitate "real skills" that a comm studies degree offers....Apparently all of the communication problems we face in the world today can be solved by Dr. Mike and his enlightened Chem Engineering degree.