Students who are currently attending college with hopes of obtaining a degree in the field of communications have something to feel optimistic about. For those working in the field of communications, more employment opportunities are being made available which is good news for students who are currently studying journalism and/or mass communication. These students will have a better chance of finding employment upon graduating with the right degree. A recent survey that was conducted by the University of Georgia shows that there was a steady increase in the number of graduates with degrees in mass communication and journalism that were able to find a full-time position within six to eight months after graduating from college.

Back in 2007, the employment rate for a student who graduated from college with a bachelor’s in communication was at around 70.2 percent. However, once the recession started and the economy became damage that percentage dropped. Back in 2009, the employment rate for graduates studying media was at around 55.5 percent but ever since then; it has been increasing bit by bit. By 2011, the percentage rate was up to 62.2 percent and is expected to continue increasing.

Back in December of 2011, journalism majors may have felt discouraged upon reading the Newsweek’s list of the top 20 useless degrees to have because journalism was listed as the number one useless degree. But now these journalism majors have something to look forward to. A senior lecturer for the Department of Communication, Zita Arocha, says that the economy is improving and with that, so are the number of job positions available for those majoring in journalism. Arocha said, “We seem to be turning around and coming out of the recession.” She also said, “The media is becoming more comfortable with the economy and are considering hiring again.”

When the recession was at its worst, a number of different media sources and newspapers had to make adjustments due to the financial situation they were now dealing with. When the adjustments were made, layoffs happened and many people ended up being put out of work. As the economy begins to stabilize, however, these organizations are now able to readjust and are looking to fill up new positions that they are developing. Arocha believes that hiring is also taking place because there are many more media outlets being created. With these outlets being created, there is much more of a demand for journalists with the right credentials, especially if they have multimedia skills. And, according to Arocha, having such skills gives these individuals an advantage when it comes down to find employment upon graduating.