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Job outlook for media executives in the United States
Media executive job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected media executive job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 33,700 new jobs for media executives are projected over the next decade.
Media executive salaries have increased 8% for media executives in the last 5 years.
There are over 10,400 media executives currently employed in the United States.
There are 90,093 active media executive job openings in the US.
The average media executive salary is $76,792.
Are media executive jobs in demand?
Media executive job and salary trends over time
Media executive jobs over time
Media executive job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,400 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 10,114 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 9,882 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 9,049 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 8,300 | 0.00% |
Average media executive salary over time
Media executive salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $76,792 | $36.92 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $73,918 | $35.54 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $72,536 | $34.87 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $71,423 | $34.34 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $70,856 | $34.07 | +1.9% |
Media executive jobs by state
Most common states for media executives
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 193 | 28% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 148 | 24% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,602 | 23% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 209 | 22% |
| 5 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 599 | 19% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,018 | 18% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 191 | 18% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,136 | 17% |
| 9 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,415 | 17% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,233 | 17% |
| 11 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 180 | 17% |
| 12 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 128 | 17% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 894 | 16% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 559 | 16% |
| 15 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 93 | 16% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 207 | 15% |
| 17 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,459 | 14% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 240 | 14% |
| 19 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,204 | 13% |
| 20 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 904 | 13% |
Most common cities for media executives
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $56,171 |
Media Executive job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of media executive experts
Cabrini University
Maryville University of Saint Louis
City University of Seattle
Huntington University
North Dakota State University
Siena College
Siena College
Siena College
University of Scranton
University of Houston - Downtown
University of Houston - Downtown
Auburn University-Montgomery
Berea College
Wayland Baptist University, Anchorage
Western New England University
University of Virginia
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Rich Johnson: Digital media covers a lot of mediums and requires many skill sets (print, static online, animation, interactive). The print arm is a lesser component although still valuable in the scope of marketing. Smartphones, tablets and gaming have moved a lot of digital into a customer expectation of interactive and customizable content. The present model of career specialization in a certain aspect of this spectrum of skills is changing. The age of the generalist is becoming more of a reality as design tools are becoming more accessible and A.I. is assisting in the more complex tasks. I would say that someone working in digital media will need to focus more on the big picture of design, predicting trends and developing solutions from a point of view with perspective. It will be even more important to understand the needs of a system from the top down and provide solutions that enhance that system. This might be through partnering with marketing and sales to conceptualize solutions, pitching product ideas and other functions related to creative and art direction. And be curious, all of the time. Keep up to date with everything that is happening. Take classes, watch tutorials, read articles and be obsessed with the breakneck rate of change. Digital media is constantly changing and possibilities are always expanding. It can be near impossible to be a master of all of these trajectories, but you can understand them well enough to bring in a specialist when the challenge requires it. This is where I predict that A.I. will be a major paradigm shift. There will be a time when you will ask the system to solve a problem, and you can choose what parts of the process that you want to control. So to boil it down... Develop a well rounded set of skills Further develop specialist level skills where you excel Keep on top of change and keep a thirst for learning Strengthen your connection to problem solving and creative innovation Keep an eye on the future predicting what might be around the bend
Professor Cheryl Pilchik
Marketing at Cabrini U.Cabrini University
Business Administration, Management And Operations
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Professor Cheryl Pilchik: Dress to impress for interviews. Consider the benefits offered by the company, not just the compensation. Use the position as a steppingstone in your field to a second job in the future.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor Cheryl Pilchik: Look at all the benefits offered by the company, such as medical, holidays, 401K, etc. Also, consider using the position as a steppingstone in your field to a second job in the near future.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Professor Cheryl Pilchik: Within Marketing, social media is still huge. There are many types of jobs within social media, including being an expert social media guru at an ad agency. I advise all students to be prepared and sign up for online courses if needed.
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Kara Alaimo PhD: The communication landscape is always changing. The social media platforms that are popular right now may not even exist by the time my students graduate, and of course they're always changing their algorithms and the kinds of content they prioritize, so professional communicators can never get too comfortable in their work. Therefore, one of the most important skills to acquire is how to stay on top of all these changes, keep learning how different platforms work, and come up with creative ideas to use on them.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kara Alaimo PhD: A lot of my former communication students who are commanding the highest salaries are working in social media management. This is because often senior communication executives who have been working in the field for decades feel like they don't know how TikTok and emerging platforms work and think people who grew up as digital natives hold the secrets of the universe, so they empower them at earlier stages in their careers to run organizations' social channels. It's not uncommon for me to see a former student who manages social media accounts on behalf of an organization get multiple promotions and raises within their first few years of graduation.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Kara Alaimo PhD: I strongly recommend that students consider jobs managing social media accounts on behalf of people and organizations. There's a lot of demand among employers to hire people for these positions right now, and a lot of my students are thrilled to discover that they can make a good living creating social media content - which many of them consider to be more like fun than work. This is why at Fairleigh Dickinson University we just created new academic programs in social media to give students the skills and credentials to go after these kinds of exciting jobs with significant labor market demand that often have particularly attractive starting salaries.
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD
Assistant Professor of MarketingWhat will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: A marketing manager is often responsible for planning and implementing a marketing plan. What this marketing plan encompasses can vary, as marketing involves many different things such as branding, product development, sales, advertising, digital and social media, and retailing.
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: The ever-changing landscape of consumer trends and technological advancements in how to market to consumers often makes the job exciting and fast-paced. However, with the increased emphasis on results, marketers must be conscious of how to measure and demonstrate the value of their work.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer D'Angelo PhD: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon Ph.D.
Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Communication and Associate Professor of Strategic Communication and LeadershipMaryville University of Saint Louis
Public Relations, Advertising, And Applied Communication
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon Ph.D.: People hire people who they know, like, and are competent. So, how do you become known, liked, and competent? Beyond college, some unexpected ways to a successful career are 1) Internships 2) Informational Interviews, and 3) earning certifications.
Internships: Getting an internship is not a new idea but it is a very important one. Some organizations now only hire people who intern for them first. The internship now becomes a trial before hire. For example, Fleishman Hillard, ranked the fourth best PR agency in the World, offers many full-time Internships, 40 hours a week. Recent grads who want to work for Fleishman Hillard should see getting an Internship as the best avenue towards getting a job at Fleishman Hillard. Many organizations use their internship pools as potential hiring pools so do not be afraid to do a paid internship after graduation for a premier organization.
Informational Interviews: This is a wonderful way for people within an organization to get to know you and for you to learn from others with experience. Informational interviews are short interviews where you connect with someone in our field, research them, and their company and prepare questions to ask for advice. These interviews expand your network and also help you learn. These are a wonder source of networking.
Earn Certifications: Besides going to class and doing well, it is also important to be able to show what you know through certifications. For example, Hubspot has free certifications that you can take and link to your LinkedIn account. One I recommend is their Social Media Marketing Certification at https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/social-media?library=true&= This is yet another way to show your knowledge and expertise in our field. Showing through certifications is always preferable to telling someone you have the skillset.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon Ph.D.: Many of my students get hired to do social media for organizations because organizations need help in this area. Knowing how to create engaging and creative content, produce quality videos, manage and understand data analytics, and respond to crises are some of the most important skills. Additionally, utilizing AI to do more with less will also become more and more important.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon Ph.D.: The first thing is to do your research so that you know the market and what the salary range is for your job in your city. This article has a list of free salary calculators.
Then, you wait until an offer is made. Once an offer is made you can negotiate (but never before).
Then, you ask politely. The amount is usually around 5- 10% of the salary. I encourage you to ask for 10% because they will likely try to meet you in the middle.
For a script, you could say something like...
Thank you so much for this offer. I am very excited to work at Company X. I know my internship experiences and degree from X University will help me be able to bring value to this organization.
Regarding salary, I was looking for something closer to $_________. Is this possible?
(Then be quiet).
It is beneficial to ask. The worst thing they can say is no. Also realize that you can negotiate vacation days, working from home, a 4-day work week, and other benefits that may be important to you if they cannot offer you more money. Once when I worked for a non-profit, I maxed out their salary but I negotiated another week of paid vacation because I asked. Asking after research and with respect is always a win.
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Earning a fair salary is important, although what exactly is fair might vary based on individual perceptions. More important, think of a job as offering a combination of financial and other non-monetary benefits such as perks (e.g., work culture, work-life balance, self-fulfillment, good colleagues, networking). Try to optimize your benefits across this multi-dimensional perspective rather than by simply focusing on salary. That stated, some job opportunities have scope for negotiation on salary. First, identify if the job that you are applying for has scope for negotiation, in which case, there's no harm in negotiating if done ethically, professionally, and reasonably. If the job is not one in which there's scope for negotiation, don't worry. Instead, focus on performance and making a case for yourself at the time of annual evaluations and/or salary hikes (which should be done even if there were salary negotiations before joining). Similar suggestions apply if you are thinking of switching roles/organizations.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Everyone is talking about AI these days, so I will start off by joining the bandwagon, but with some nuance. It's important to know how to use artificial intelligence tools in order to be better or more effective at one's job. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to become an AI expert, but that we should be able to harness the power of AI tools to improve the quality and efficiency of our work. This requires being fluent enough with AI tools to understand, discuss, and make decisions involving AI or about AI output (even if we don't actually use those tools in a hands-on manner). This should be done while also being able to bridge the gap for those who are less fluent (perhaps those in more senior-level roles who are even less hands-on with these tools). That apart, as more of the workforce focuses more of their time on technical and similar skills, "softer" skills such as integrity, professionalism, self-awareness, and team-orientation will become even more important as differentiators.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Ajay Abraham Ph. D.: Earning a fair salary is important, although what exactly is fair might vary based on individual perceptions. More important, think of a job as offering a combination of financial and other non-monetary benefits such as perks (e.g., work culture, work-life balance, self-fulfillment, good colleagues, networking). Try to optimize your benefits across this multi-dimensional perspective rather than by simply focusing on salary. That stated, some job opportunities have scope for negotiation on salary. First, identify if the job that you are applying for has scope for negotiation, in which case, there’s no harm in negotiating if done ethically, professionally, and reasonably. If the job is not one in which there’s scope for negotiation, don’t worry. Instead, focus on performance and making a case for yourself at the time of annual evaluations and/or salary hikes (which should be done even if there were salary negotiations before joining). Similar suggestions apply if you are thinking of switching roles/organizations.
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: The ever-changing landscape of consumer trends and technological advancements in how to market to consumers often makes the job exciting and fast-paced. However, with the increased emphasis on results, marketers must be conscious of how to measure and demonstrate the value of their work.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Jennifer D'Angelo Ph.D.: Brands across many product categories are facing an increasing level of competition. Brands may struggle with rising brand parity, where brands and their competitors are seen as similar to one another. Therefore, to stand out from competitors, it has become increasingly important for brands to have marketing managers that create value for consumers and communicate that value to consumers.
Brock Zehr
Associate Professor of Business & Economics and MBA DirectorHuntington University
Religion/Religious Studies
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Brock Zehr: Social media content development, data analytics, and quality video content generation will all be in greater demand. Employers tell me that the "soft skills" of being a team player, excellent communication skills, integrity, and a strong work ethic are still valued skills.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brock Zehr: Do your homework. Research salaries for the position, geographic location, and your experience level on sites like salary.com and zippia.com to determine the salary range for the position. Know the numbers. Let the employer provide the first salary number and decide how much to negotiate from there. Also, look at the entire compensation package and not the salary alone. Benefit packages vary and can encompass and large portion of compensation.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Brock Zehr: Become a solution to an employer's problem. During the application and interview process, identify the needs of the employer and propose ways you can fulfill those needs. Every job, person, project, and client can lead to greater opportunities. So even if your first job is not ideal; do it well because it can be the impetus to propel your career forward. A positive, can-do attitude and quality work can take you wherever you want to go.
Ahmad Asady
Assistant Professor of Management Faculty Scholar, Challey Institute for Global Innovation and GrowthNorth Dakota State University
Marketing
What general advice would you give to a Media Executive?
Ahmad Asady: The role of a Marketing professional is as rewarding as it is demanding. On one hand, it offers the chance to unleash creativity, see the direct impact of your work, and enjoy a variety of experiences across different projects and industries. On the other hand, it comes with its fair share of challenges, such as the pressure to perform under tight deadlines and budgets, the constant need to stay ahead in a fast-evolving field, and the stress of quantifying the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Despite these challenges, the role remains appealing for those drawn to a career that demands both strategic thinking and creative innovation, underscored by the powerful tool of persuasion to shape consumer behavior and drive business success.
What Media Executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ahmad Asady: Now is an exciting time to enter the field of marketing. The digital age has transformed how brands connect with consumers, opening up a plethora of channels and tools for innovative engagement strategies. This digital expansion, coupled with the shift towards a more consumer-centric marketing approach, has made the role of a Marketing professional more crucial and impactful than ever. Professionals in this field enjoy the privilege of working at the intersection of creativity and analytics, where they can make significant contributions to a brand's growth and adapt to new challenges and technologies, ensuring a career that is both stable and filled with opportunities for continuous learning.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Ahmad Asady: A Marketing professional's day is a blend of art and science, filled with the pursuit of understanding and engaging the target audience. Their daily activities revolve around creating and managing content that resonates with consumers, conducting market research to stay ahead of trends, analyzing data to refine strategies, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure a unified brand message. Persuasion lies at the heart of their role, as they must continuously convince both internal stakeholders and external audiences of the value and relevance of their brand's offerings.
S.Sinem Atakan
Assistant Professor of MarketingSiena College
Marketing Department
What skills will help Media Executives earn the most?
S.Sinem Atakan: The most important skills for marketing graduates, especially given the remote working conditions due to the pandemic, are self-motivation, communication, and digital marketing skills. Creativity and analytical skills are always important in marketing, but pandemic has highlighted the importance of being able to work independently and motivate yourself even when external forces are not directly present. Communication skills are crucial to work remotely and be on the same page with your team members. Digital marketing was big but getting even bigger with this breakthrough changes in consumer behavior. Hence, the rising stars of the marketing job market will be graduates who can combine all these skills seamlessly
Soyoung Joo
Assistant Professor of MarketingSiena College
Marketing Department
What skills stand out on Media Executive resumes?
Soyoung Joo: Communication and time management skills are valuable skills for marketing managers.
What soft skills should all Media Executives possess?
Soyoung Joo: Creativity and intellectual curiosity (willingness to keep learning) can be added to the above soft skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Media Executives?
Soyoung Joo: Being able to interpret the consumer data and identify the true needs and wants of the consumer is imperative for marketers.
What skills will help Media Executives earn the most?
Soyoung Joo: Being able to work well with people from diverse backgrounds can be added to the above skills.
Allison Lauenstein
Teaching Instructor of MarketingSiena College
Marketing Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Media Executives?
Allison Lauenstein: Project Management and being able to connect the dots around the data and insights are critical. You have to analyze a situation and uncover insights from the customer, the competitors, and the industry.
What skills will help Media Executives earn the most?
Allison Lauenstein: Leadership and collaboration will go a long way. The best ideas can come from anywhere, and it's not always about who has the best idea but who can execute the idea the best. Good marketers must understand that if you cannot successfully execute or effectively communicate a great idea, it may not be so great.
What skills stand out on Media Executive resumes?
Allison Lauenstein: Skills that stand out show that the candidate has had some experience leading projects and project teams. Marketing is a collaborative effort, and it is critically important for upcoming managers to understand how to manage and motivate a team to achieve its objectives.
What soft skills should all Media Executives possess?
Allison Lauenstein: Listening and asking questions are some of the most important skills. As Marketers, you not only have to listen to what people say, but you have to try to understand what they are not saying. How do their actions differ from what they are saying?
Abhijit Roy
Professor of MarketingUniversity of Scranton
School of Management
What skills stand out on Media Executive resumes?
Abhijit Roy: In general, companies will look to see whether or not the candidate can overall market the company's products. Given the depth and breadth of marketing jobs, the specific skill requirements will vary. For example, a sales manager position will require individuals with high interpersonal skills, advertising positions will look for individuals with creativity, while marketing research positions will demand strong analytical skills. Overall, most companies today are looking for individuals with strong digital marketing and social media skills.
Job market candidates must look for the job descriptions in the ads and ensure they have relevant matching skills that they can include in their resumes.
What soft skills should all Media Executives possess?
Abhijit Roy: These are very important, yet harder to quantify skills, not only for marketing professionals but for business graduates in general. They include the ability to make sound decisions under pressure, having a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as embodied by having empathy towards coworkers and subordinates, delegating appropriately, mentoring, communicating, time management, maintaining positivity despite setbacks and adapting to unforeseen challenges, being flexible, being persuasive and assertive at appropriate moments, yet being collaborative, seeking feedback, and the ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts when needed, amongst others.
Soft skills are typically more instrumental in enabling candidates to fit into an organization's culture and be strong candidates for promotion. Most marketing jobs involve candidates representing their brand initiatives and building strong client relationships, so interpersonal, and other soft skills are often valued more than hard skills. The strongest case for having excellent soft skills is that they are more easily transferable across various jobs and industries.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Media Executives?
Abhijit Roy: The Marketing field has undergone a major paradigmatic shift with the growth of digitization. Hence, hard/technical skills in performing data-driven marketing, social media and data analytics, data visualization, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)/Search Engine Marketing (SEM), content creation and storytelling, and omnichannel communication are critical hard skills that are in great demand today.
What skills will help Media Executives earn the most?
Abhijit Roy: The above skills are in high demand and also currently pay the most. Still, I strongly recommend that students focus not on skills that will help them earn the most but on the skill sets that each individual possesses and think of how they can best leverage that in the marketplace to have a long sustained, and enjoyable career.
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Houston - Downtown
Marilyn Davies College of Business
What skills stand out on Media Executive resumes?
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: Showcasing the balance between people management and analytical skills. Marketing today relies on a substantial amount of data, which requires marketing managers to possess strong analytical skills. At the same time, leaders have to motivate, inspire, and guide employees. In the last 3-5 years, I have seen a greater emphasis on analytical skills.
What soft skills should all Media Executives possess?
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: Leaders need to lead. A leader who is curious, vulnerable, transparent, and inclusive generally has better success. The challenge is to teach leaders to be authentically curious. That is a big challenge in leadership.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Media Executives?
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: First, understand A/B experiments. Marketers are consistently comparing different campaigns, and the ability to create thoughtful experiments is critical.
Second, go beyond averages and percentages and learn linear and logistic regression and more advanced analytical tools. The exposure to more complex analytics allows for more thoughtful outcomes and interpretation.
Third, be exposed to a programming language like R or Python. Not that you are going to code, but it allows you to speak the language of data.
What skills will help Media Executives earn the most?
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: It's a combination of skills, plus the patience to build those skills. Great people and leadership skills always seem to trump most other variables. I would encourage individuals to invest in their leadership skills and consider partnering with a leadership coach.
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Houston - Downtown
Marilyn Davies College of Business
What soft skills should all Media Executives possess?
Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.: The need for soft skills are consistent through time. With our societal focus on social media, texting, emojis, etc. It appears to me companies are looking for the following:
- Active listening skills
- Willingness to be self-reflective and accept feedback
- Accept different perspectives. The collision of ideas creates knowledge
- Communicate to the listener (at their level). Flex communicators
- Cultural intelligence. Demographics changes will require better understanding of team member's, boss', customer's, etc. cultural context
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Jeff Bates: The same thing will help people in any field continue to increase their earning potential as in the past. If an employee can find a way to differentiate themselves in a positive manner and make themselves valuable or even invaluable to their company, they should see increased earnings potential. Learning a foreign language, computer skills such as Excel, good math skills, and the ability to communicate will prove to be extremely important in advancing one's career.
J. Ian Norris Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing and Fellow, American Council on EducationBerea College
Economics and Business Department
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
J. Ian Norris Ph.D.: No matter what area of marketing you are working in--in fact, no matter what job you are working in at all, statistical literacy is essential. There is so much data out there that data literacy will confer significant competitive advantage to those who can leverage it. This doesn't mean everyone has to be able to do regression modeling, but being able to interpret correlational patterns and draw actionable meaning from it will be a foundational skill. A big bonus would be some basic coding skills. Finally, it is worth mentioning that while most social media marketing still happens on Facebook, it will be essential to know platforms such as Instagram and TikTok for any products or services targeted to younger consumers.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Media Executives?
Dr. Mary Rydesky: What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact on your job prospects? Emphases on project management and strategic thinking have been joined by certifications in soft skills that support diversity and cultural awareness. Graduates do need technical skills, but with the shift to remote teams and work from home environments pushed the curve. Now, grads need experience in applying their tech skills from a distance.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mary Rydesky: What will help people in your field increase their earning potential? In most fields, developing a portfolio of projects has high potential. For employers, concrete evidence of experience is a strong influencer when selecting new employees. Any student who can complete an internship or who works while in school has an advantage in this regard. If I can ascertain that an applicant has the knowledge, skill, and abilities as tested by measurable experience, I am not only more interested in the hiring potential, I am likely to be competitive in salary offers.
What will help Media Executives increase their earning potential?
Harlan Spotts Ph.D.: In marketing, developing digital capabilities is extremely important. Marketing was on the forefront of the digital transition in business. With the amount of commerce that has shifted to the web marketers have to be comfortable with living in the digital space. This will demand new and different strategies. Marketers have always needed to be effective communicators, but now it is not just being a great closer. Marketers need to be effective communicators in writing (text, email, etc.) and verbal (person to person live, as well as person to person online)
Students need to start in college developing skills to be successful. It was interesting, we, in the College of Business, were talking about developing student competency in remote work before the pandemic hit last year. The pandemic accelerated our work, and we are in the process now of approving a certificate in remote work that any undergraduate business student can earn. It is designed to develop those competencies that will be critical for success in the "new normal."
What's a good job out of college for Media Executives?
Ira Harris Ph.D.: It's important to keep in mind that for most graduates, their first job out of college will most certainly not be their last, so students should think of an early or entry-level job as a continuation of their skill building and academic enrichment. By identifying a portfolio that contains tasks and duties that will lead to expertise and increase their marketability, students can prepare themselves to ladder into the next phase(s) of a career trajectory. A job that allows for geographic flexibility, varied work hours, and application and expansion of technical acumen should be a safe bet. These components cross a variety of industries, so students shouldn't feel inhibited or limited to certain functions. Over the last several years, we've noticed a drastic decline in jobs that require employees to be consistently hands-on and "sit in one space."