Professional Organizations to consider...

National Communication Association

According to the website, “NCA is the largest national organization dedicated to communication.”  Many professionals from many different backgrounds work together to understand communication as a whole and in human communication.  It is a great form to contribute to the education of society.   The membership fee is a little high but I think is worth having the back up support and resources to help improve your company or skills, but also look for a job if need be.  They also offer grants that are there to help members out.

http://www.natcom.org/

Association of Professional Communication Consultants

APCC is an organization that is dedicated to help people enter the communication consulting profession.  This will not only help them professionally to grow their business, but also to grow as a person.  They provide you with the tools needed to create or improve your skills, from each other.  They also offer grants to help your company or profession grow.  The membership is a lot more reasonable than some I have seen.  They are at $90 dollars for 2 years.  If I was looking to have my own hours and make it a business of my own, I would really consider joining this organization.

http://www.consultingsuccess.org/

Texas Speech Communication Association

“The Texas Speech Communication Association is the largest state professional communication association in the nation,” according to their website.  It is a great resource for future or current teachers of all levels teaching communications in college to speech class in high school.  They also have grants to help the teachers go to school and continue to grow as a professional.  The website is full of new information regarding technology that could be used to help your business or your classroom.  You can also network with others in your field and help each other out with new innovating ideas.  I’m not sure how much the membership fee is, but I will assume it’s not much since most teachers don’t make much.  I would consider joining this organization because I do want to teach in the future.

http://www.etsca.com/home.asp

Texas Public Relations Associations

I would join this organization by the end of the week.  What I read on the website was enough to let me know that I will be making a good connection with future contributors, employers, coworkers, and more.  They provide you with webinars, seminars, job bank, and conferences to help you not only market yourself, but also to learn about the business in public relations.  They are targeting all types of individuals who are in the public relations and communication field.  The membership fees are reasonable and affordable to a student like me, $99 fee for 1 year.  Even if you are not a member, you can still attend the events they host of a small fee. 

http://www.tpra.com/

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers

This organization is for people who want to or work in the motion pictures or film from cameraman to editors to directors to designers, to name a few.  Many of us dream of being part of the crew, per say, of a motion picture company.  This organization allows you to make contact and maybe even find a job working in what you love.  This is a great organization for professionals to students.  They have educational seminars and conferences.  The membership fees are starting at $135 per year, depending on what level of membership you want to apply for.  I would consider joining this organization if I was looking into getting in the motion picture field.

http://www.smpte.org/home/

Career paths you might consider...

Public or Media Relations Specialist

These types of specialist have to write and prepare scripts to help promote events, advertisement, and different types of stories.  Sometimes they have to also make speeches in front of crowds or for media coverage.   A Public or Media Relations Specialist starts out at about $15.00 an hour to about $27.00 an hour.  The yearly salary ranges from $32,000 to $57,000 or more depending on experience. 

Reporter/Anchor

Reporters and/or Anchors are positions that are challenging to get.  Many markets require some type of experience.  They will have to prepare and research the story they are covering as well as write a script for the story that will be no more than 2 minutes long, but covers all the facts.  They will also interview many different types of people, so they have to have presence.  On occasions, they might be a guest speaker at events or schools for career day.  They will need to be preparing to go on live for breaking news either on camera, over the phone, or over the radio.  Their hourly salary starts about $10.00 an hour to $27.00 an hour depending on experience and market.  Anchors tend to make a little more depending on show they report on and market.

Producer

A Producer is responsible for lining up the rundown for the show of newscast to help the reporters and anchors with the writing of the stories.  They come up with story ideas and creative ways to make the show informative, yet entertaining.  From making sure the graphic artist have the information they need to create visuals to lighting on the set or location to sound effects for getting the audience’s attention.  A producer can work for a local television station to radio station to a movie set.  Producer’s salaries vary depending on the market and experience between $14.00 an hour to $40.00 an hour.  For a movie producer the number depends on the amount of time of contact to the responsibilities they will have.  Some average in the millions per movie.

Teacher (Media Technology, Public Relations, Radio & Television Broadcasting, etc)

A teacher for a vocational trade in a high school is becoming very popular now and days.  They will introduce the students to many career options in the Media Technology world.  They will learn from writing to producing to creating to recording to lighting different types of scenes and scenarios.  Salaries range from $18.00 an hour to $27.00 an hour in a public school setting depending on experience.   Plus it is a very rewarding experience to help and guide young minds to what is out there for them to select from.

Interpreters and Translators

Interpreters and translators will assist in communicating in writing or speaking a different language.  I’m bilingual in English and Spanish.  Most employers will give you a test and if you pass it, the salary will be must higher.  The starting salary for this field varies from $11.00 an hour to $36.00 an hour, depending on experience and how many languages you may know.

Reference

http://www.bls.gov/oco/