The Top Ten Degrees For Students Who Aspire To Be Influencers
Published on: February 26, 2024
Becoming an influencer has quickly risen to the top of many students' aspirations. It's no surprise, as many influencers enjoy a level of fame that once used to be attainable only by movie stars. Unfortunately, while some influencers have become overnight sensations, for the vast majority, it is still a job that requires a lot of time and dedication. Raw talent can take you far as an influencer, but the degrees listed below can be a significant advantage when entering this competitive field.
Digital Marketing
Being an influencer means not only that you market products and services to others but also that you must be able to market your own brand. A digital marketing degree can help aspiring influencers better understand their target audience and use engagement strategies to create better content. Digital marketing degrees also often include modules such as video production, social media management, graphic design, and more, which are vital for influencers. While many of these things can be delegated once you achieve success, many influencers start by having to do all of these themselves, making digital marketing a valuable degree.
Communication Studies
Successful influencers know how to engage with their audience, which makes a communication studies degree a helpful option. This degree covers topics such as how messages are constructed, interpreted, and disseminated, which are all beneficial for audience engagement. Communication is helpful in crafting compelling content and is also needed for an industry where collaborating with others or working with sponsors is vital. Intercultural communication is another valuable component of this degree, as being an influencer often involves engaging with diverse audiences.
Media Production
Being an influencer involves creating high-quality and engaging content. The content creation skills learned in a media production degree directly apply to being an influencer. In addition, to stand out, influencers must understand the different platforms available for reaching their target audience. In addition, this degree can provide aspiring influencers with valuable industry insights that can help them grow their brand.
Journalism
A journalism degree might seem like an odd choice for an influencer, but it can be advantageous depending on the type of content they want to create. Along with learning more about audience engagement, a journalism degree is helpful for learning skills such as media literacy and research abilities. The ethical standards taught as part of a journalism degree can also benefit influencers and help them build credibility with their audience.
Public Relations
Established influencers have public relations experts who can help them with brand management and community engagement. However, aspiring influencers will likely have to start from scratch and do many things on their own, making a public relations degree useful. Influencers also sometimes have to deal with negative publicity and challenging situations that a public relations degree can help them navigate without damaging their reputation.
Creative Writing
A creative writing degree is helpful for the content creation aspect of being an influencer. Students who complete this degree often find it easier to find their unique voice and writing style to carry over to their careers as influencers. It can also teach them valuable critical thinking skills and how to deliver clear, coherent, and polished content. Being an influencer is not always about only making videos; blog posts, podcasts, social media captions, and other forms of online communication are also sometimes involved. A creative writing degree can help influencers add their own unique spin to these forms of content.
Business Entrepreneurship
Being an influencer often means working for yourself, which makes a business entrepreneurship degree a valuable asset. This degree can teach students business principles that can help them manage their brand and create better monetization strategies. This degree's marketing component helps influencers promote themselves, while the financial aspect can help them better manage their finances.
Psychology or Sociology
Aspiring influencers can benefit a lot from psychology or sociology degrees. Not only can these degrees lead to well-paying and rewarding careers on their own, but they can also help students build a successful and influential personal brand. In addition to better understanding their target audience, these degrees feature useful communication components and ways to build trust. Students will also be able to understand social dynamics better and be better equipped to deal with criticism and feedback that is part of being an influencer.
Digital Media
Being an influencer involves more than creating content and requires some technical proficiency, too, especially when starting. A digital media degree typically covers the types of digital tools, software, and applications relevant to content creation and marketing. This degree also covers the various digital platforms that can be instrumental in helping influencers grow their brand, connect with their audiences, and monetize their content.
Film and Television Production
A film and television production degree is helpful for actors and influencers, especially those who want to specialize in visual mediums like videos. This degree can help aspiring influencers learn the ins and outs of creating high-quality video content to convey their intended messages to audiences.
Conclusion
Being an influencer is not for everyone, and while there are many pros, there are also many cons. Social media can have a negative impact on mental health, and being an influencer involves spending a lot of time online. Because it is such a competitive field, there is also the danger of cyberbullying and social comparison, which can take their toll. As with any career where fame and fortune are possible, being an influencer means dealing with critics and trolls on the way to success. Nevertheless, it can be a rewarding career path if you are resilient and can handle the pressure of maintaining a public image.