Üsküdar University Media PR Unit Manager - Journalist Şaban Özdemir, participated as a speaker in the seminar organized by Pendik Correct Answer Online Student Academy. Özdemir, who gave advice regarding the field in career planning to students who want to choose a Faculty of Communication, highlighted that communication became one of the shining fields during the pandemic.
The moderation of the online seminar was undertaken by Elif Gedikli, Assistant Director of Pendik Personal Development Course. Journalist Şaban Özdemir shared important information about the field of communication in his speech titled “Do You Have a Career and a Dream Related to Communication?”. Özdemir, emphasizing that the field of communication will continue to exist throughout humanity, said: “Communication is one of the fundamental elements that have existed since the beginning of humanity. Communication has always been necessary to express ourselves. It will continue to exist throughout human history.”
“Communication became one of the shining fields during the pandemic”
Özdemir stated that the Faculty of Communication includes departments such as Journalism, Radio TV and Cinema, Public Relations and Publicity, Advertising, and Visual Communication Design, and he noted that departments may vary by university. Özdemir said: “Communication has always been necessary to express ourselves. Communication exists in all areas of life; as soon as we wake up from our beds, we are exposed to communication and interaction. During the pandemic, we realized that communication was the only thing connecting us to the outside world, to life. Communication became one of the shining fields, whose importance was understood with the pandemic.”
“If you do a job you enjoy, you won't fear unemployment”
Özdemir stated that graduates of Communication Faculties actively work in every field: “For example, communicators are involved in all advertising work for a brand. Dozens of people are involved in just broadcasting a live program on a television channel, and the situation is the same in radio. Communicators also work actively on digital platforms. So, communicators are present at every stage of life. Since we have a lot to tell, we have the opportunity to work everywhere and in every field. There is a wide variety of fields for those studying at the Faculty of Communication. Our friends enter the field and after experiencing many areas, they decide on the areas they want to specialize in. Students should ask themselves ‘Can I be happy in this field?’ before ‘Can I find a job?’. I don't think they will be unemployed if they do a job they enjoy,” he said.
“If you do a job you love, you won't work a single day”
Özdemir also touched upon the importance of people doing their jobs with passion: “When I first started my profession, while working in television, I used to go to and from news assignments by public bus. So, this is not an easy job. We went through challenging processes, but the work I've done until today never felt like a burden for even a single day. The famous philosopher Confucius says, ‘If you do a job you love, you won't work a single day...’ This is truly the case. My advice to friends considering a Faculty of Communication is to talk not with everyone who graduated from this field, but with those who genuinely enjoy working in this field. Only in this way can they make a sound decision,” he said.
4 Rights in Communication Strategy…
Özdemir, who stated that talent is certainly important in the field of communication, but nothing cannot be achieved through hard work, said: “Students studying at the Faculty of Communication must simultaneously activate four ‘rights’ to be successful. It is necessary to convey the right content, at the right time, on the right platform, to the right audience.”
“Dreams are like fuel for people”
Journalist Şaban Özdemir, using the expressions that one must trust the work they do in the field of communication and always stand behind it, said: “There will certainly be tasks that result in failure, but we can see them as stepping stones. Because every mistake, if learned from, strengthens us. I also recommend that students who will study at a Faculty of Communication choose communication faculties located in metropolitan areas. Because the opportunities in the media sector are much greater in big cities. These are the centers of the business. And the practical opportunities offered by communication faculties to students should also be taken into consideration. The faculty must have a television station, radio station, news agency, newspaper, or magazine that offers practical application opportunities. And finally, I would like to say this: ‘Dreams are like fuel for people; if dreams end, people's hopes end, and so do their lives’,” he said.