Social Media Careers & Career Outlook

<p>Social media careers can range from roles that solely focus on posting content on social media platforms, to those that use social media as part of their role. The table below outlines two different social media careers. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><th> </th><th> Public Relations Specialist</th><th>Advertising Manager</th></tr> <tr><td> <b>Degree Required</b> </td><td> Bachelor's degree</td><td> Bachelor's degree</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Educational Field of Study</b> </td><td> Public relations, journalism, English</td><td> Journalism, advertising</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Key Skills</b> </td><td> Interpersonal skills, organization, problem-solving abilities</td><td> Creativity, analytical skills, communication</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-2030)*</b> </td><td>11%</td><td> 10%</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Median Salary (2020)*</b> </td><td> $62,810</td><td> $133,460</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---WhatDoesAPublicRelationsPRSpecialistDo">What Does a Public Relations (PR) Specialist Do?</h3> <p>Public relations specialists manage an organization's image, by communicating with the public, reporters and consumers. They often draft press releases and send these to the media. They can also use social media to promote the organization by posting images, text and videos. PR specialists may also interact with the public by replying to comments and messages, and analyze how much traction they have gained from certain posts. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatDoesAnAdvertisingManagerDo">What Does an Advertising Manager Do?</h3> <p>Advertising managers oversee advertising campaigns, creating interest in products or services. They will work with clients if they are working in an agency, or manage in-house campaigns if they work solely for one organization. As part of promoting their campaigns, they can use different social media platforms to spread their messages. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatEducationalRequirementsAreThere">What Educational Requirements Are There?</h3> <p>In order to become an advertising manager or public relations specialist you will need a bachelor's degree. Some of the most common degrees for these roles include journalism, public relations and advertising. As there is a lot of overlap between these roles, a degree in one of these areas will be a good way to begin a career that involves social media. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatMightIEarn">What Might I Earn?</h3> <p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the median annual salary for a public relations specialist was $62,810 in May 2020. The highest paid public relations specialists were employed by business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations, earning a median salary of $68,610. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for advertising managers in May 2020 was $133,460. The highest paid were employed by services related to advertising and public relations, earning a median salary of $150,930. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatIsTheJobGrowth">What Is the Job Growth?</h3> <p>The expected growth of public relations specialists, including social media specialists, predicted by the BLS is 11% from 2020-2030. This is faster than the average for all occupations. For advertising managers the BLS predicts that jobs will grow at around 10% from 2020 to 2030, which is just above average for all occupations.</p>