What to do After BMM? 14 Best Career Options after BMM [2024]

When I graduated with my BMM degree, I faced the same question that many of you might be pondering now: “What to do after BMM?” It’s a crucial crossroads in your academic and professional journey, and making the right decision is paramount. Having gone through this phase and successfully navigated the world of career options after BMM, I’m here to share my insights and expertise with you.  

In this comprehensive guide for the year 2024, we’ll explore the 14 best career options after BMM. Whether you’re passionate about media, marketing, or communication, I’ve covered you. Drawing from my own experiences and those of fellow BMM graduates, I’ll provide valuable information to help you make an informed choice for your future.  

Let’s work together to create a roadmap for your dream career in media and communication 

“What to do after BMM?”

How many of you wonder which are all the best career options after BMM? Mass media and communication have a significant influence on entire cultures and societies. As technologies evolve, the discipline continues to grow and shape the world as we know it. The curriculum of undergraduate courses such as Bachelor of Mass Media or BMM focuses on familiarizing students with this vast knowledge area.  It is not easy to find high paying jobs for BMM graduates if one has not chosen the right courses after BMM.

One of the best things about a BMM degree is that there are plenty of career options after BMM. BMM is one of the most diverse courses in terms of job opportunities and the scope of higher education available to graduates. Depending on the BMM specialisation chosen by the student, they will be able to find jobs in the industry in their field or courses for further education.

Whether a student chooses to work or further their education, BMM scope is quite broad. Graduates find a wealth of career options after BMM in the job market, but the diversity of choices can also confuse some. This article will address your questions about what to do after BMM.

Why is BMM a Great Career Option?

Since the media is one of the most powerful pillars of society, a Bachelor’s in Mass Media provides candidates with various career opportunities. Those interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Mass Media degree should have communication, creativity, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.

They should have a keen sense of detail. A Bachelor’s in Mass Media can lead to many career opportunities for people interested in the media field. B.M.M. graduates can work as journalists for any major news organisation or as writers. Consequently, candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media have many options available to them. In the present era, BMM scope is increasing every day owing to the growth of technology.

Career Options After BMM

Below is a list of some great courses after BMM that you can opt –

Learners receive an average Salary hike of 58% with the highest being up to 400%.

1. Journalism

Journalism is the most popular course available for students & one of the best courses after BMM. Journalism involves gathering information and presenting it using different means of mass media. Journalists cover news and raise other pertinent issues in written, spoken, and visual formats. They may choose a niche in terms of the industry (crime, politics, sports, entertainment, business, and finance), or focus on a specific medium (print, broadcast, or digital). 

A typical six-semester BMM degree includes a journalism specialization in the final year. This serves as the foundation for your entry into the professional world. If you want to be a journalist, you should also try to gain some practical exposure in broadcasting, publishing, etc. Moreover, interacting with people from all walks of life will be a mainstay throughout your journalistic career. So, explore the different aspects of the occupation, gain new perspectives, and decide which option suits you the best.

Read: Career Options For Commerce Students

2. Radio Jockeying

One of the most popular career options after BMM is doing Radio Jockeying. Radio hosts and presenters work in on-air broadcasting positions, engaging with the listeners through their content delivery, expression, wit, and humor. Radio finds relevance even in today’s technologically connected world. Digital media is supplementing its growth, making way for innovative products like podcasts and global radio apps. According to PWC, the podcast listener base in India reached the 40 million mark in 2018, growing 58 percent from the previous year. Ready followership has also opened up new avenues for audio advertising. 

The attractiveness of the radio format is understandable for people facing the dictates of modern lifestyles. Those with busy work schedules prefer listening to interesting topics, learning, and being entertained without increasing screen time. 

If you want to differentiate yourself as a radio presenter, spend some time defining your style and practice as much as you can thus it is one of the best courses after BMM. A radio station internship can help you refine your skills, gain experience, and get your foot in the door.  

3. Advertising

If you are wondering what to do after BMM and want to get into an interesting industry, try advertising. The advertising industry is replete with lucrative jobs that reward individual creativity and collaborative work. Ad agencies generally look for motivated individuals who can engage well with clients and partners besides having a sound understanding of the advertising business. The end goal is to create and deliver a powerful campaign that etches the product or service in the mind of the audience and results in profits for the client.

Nike is a classic example of such memorable work, having a worldwide recall of its “Just Do It” tagline. Kitkat’s “In India, Fevicol’s “Waterproof bond” and Cadbury Dairy Milk’s “Let’s have something sweet” are among some of the most impactful advertising slogans. 

In the present networked economy, we find ourselves surrounded by advertisements not only in the form of billboards and television jingles but also on social media platforms and mobile apps. So, the scope of advertising has widened with the advent of the internet, making it one of the most sought-after career options after BMM.

Professionals in the ad world are involved in the process of identifying the target audience for a brand, speaking to the potential consumers via original or customized campaigns, and developing dissemination strategies for the intended message and brand identity & more which made this one of the best courses after BMM. You can go for diverse profiles, such as copywriting, media planning, and branding. 

4. Public Relations

One of the most prevalent career options after BMM is PR. Public relations development is centred on raising awareness about organizations, causes, or individuals by designing and organizing appearances and events around them. As a PR professional, you would represent a company or person and devise ways to communicate their image or ideologies to the public.

Your work would also include building and maintaining good relationships with journalists, preparing media kits, and managing publicity efforts to avert bad press. In the current fast-paced world, PR strategists are increasing demand to coordinate the messaging, particularly by large multinational corporations, nonprofits, and political candidates. 

5. Event Management

Event management is one of the sexiest and one of the best courses after BMM. Many view event management as a career where they can learn and apply multi-disciplinary skills while exploring their creative side. This perception is not far off from the actual setting where designing, marketing, and financial teams work together to assemble a social function, meeting, or conference. Events can be as varied as the examples mentioned below:

• Personal affairs (Wedding, birthday, etc.)
• Entertainment (Music concert, theatre performance, award show, etc.)
• Corporate engagements (Product launch, trade show, executive retreat)
• Marketing events (Roadshows, workshops, intimate meals, and other outreach activities)

In the post-COVID world, many of these experiential events have had to move online. Therefore, organizers and marketers are also exploring innovative virtual arrangements that can emulate the feel and impact of in-person events. For instance, the Global Citizen Festival was live-streamed in 2023 under the theme “One World: Together at Home.”

You can also check out our free courses offered by upGrad in Management, Data Science, Machine Learning, Digital Marketing, and Technology. All of these courses have top-notch learning resources, weekly live lectures, industry assignments, and a certificate of course completion – all free of cost!

6. Digital Communications

Still looking for options before deciding what to do after BMM? The internet is the embodiment of the technological agility of modern life. In the last decade, e-marketing and cloud-based tools have transformed the way organizations communicate. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the operational landscape across industries. So, digital prowess is one of the top skills that recruiters look for in any candidate. Specifically, businesses need communication managers who are adept at the following:

• Handling social media platforms
• Interacting with prospects remotely via web calls
• Creating digital marketing materials
• Utilizing SEO, blogging and content marketing services to reach the target audience
• Keeping a tab on the tasks using online project management tools

If you want to know how these functions would play out in a professional setting, you can consider supplementing your BMM qualification with postgraduate certification in digital marketing. Leading national institutions like MICA are offering online programs with customized specialization tracks. Such courses come with the added benefits of case study pedagogy and industry mentorship. 

7. Photography

If you are a BMM student with a penchant for clicking pictures, a career in photography may be a suitable choice for you. Amateur photographers can go on to work as creative directors in advertising and journalism after obtaining relevant experience. Once you start working, you can pick up additional design skills, such as image editing and Photoshop. Photographers have a wide range of job prospects, including:

• Photo-journalism
• Product photography
• Fashion photography
• Wildlife photography
• Travel photography
• Fine arts (Portrait, still life, landscape, etc.)

8. Filmmaking

For all the students who are wondering what to do after BMM, Cinematographic films create wondrous and palpable representations of imagined scenarios and real-life on celluloid. Over the years, moving pictures have come far in terms of formats and styles. Today, there are digital releases and virtual reality experiences. Many filmmakers actively choose to create short and independent films, and community-driven award shows recognize innovative cinematic work. 

Overall, the filmmaking space has become much more inclusive and democratic with technological advancement. So, if you have an idea and the right skills to bring it to fruition, you stand a chance of being successful. As a start, you would need to develop your competencies in scripting, shooting, and editing. Then, you would also need to hone your soft skills to collaborate with fellow creatives to make and distribute your film. 

Learn: Top 10 Highest Paid Jobs in India in Commerce Field

9. Higher Education

Many students find it challenging to zero in on a particular career path right after graduating from college. If you haven’t decided what to do after BMM, you can take some time to explore your interest and enroll in a higher education program. There are many postgraduate courses available for degree holders in mass media and communication. We have listed some of them below.

• Master’s in advertising and marketing management
• MA in mass communication and journalism
• M.Sc. in media and communication
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Additionally, international institutes like the Liverpool Business School and Deakin Business School have come up with online MBA degrees to help students build their business acumen and communication skills. Mass media is a highly rewarding field, but it is equally competitive. Advanced qualifications can not only benefit you academically but also help you stand out in the job market. 

10. Marketing Manager

If you are wondering what to do after BMM, Marketing Manager is one of the many pivotal job roles in an organization. Marketing managers are responsible for positioning the products and services and promoting a brand in the market. They are concerned with raising awareness and attracting customers to maximize sales and profit. 

As a BMM graduate, you would have understood the intricacies of communication, but marketing demands a more enhanced skill set. So, if you feel the need for improving your business judgement, an MBA degree can put things in perspective for you. Some online MBA programs offer specializations in business analytics, which can prove helpful for marketing roles.

To design targeted campaigns, companies require employees who can do market research, need assessments, and utilize prediction techniques. And industry-linked courses facilitate this kind of learning – for example, NMIMS Global Access School’s Executive MBA, which seeks to create new-age, data-driven managers. The average salary of Rs. 682,286 per annum, according to PayScale.

11. Business Consultant

Our list of answers to ‘What to do after BMM?’ would be incomplete if we don’t mention the role of a business consultant.

As a business consultant, your job is to improve the performance and efficiency of businesses by contributing your expertise and devising solutions. You also advise the management and leadership on various corporate matters to steer them closer to the organizational goals.

Such roles call for entrepreneurial skills, a knack for communication, practical business sense, and other technical competencies. After all, helping businesses grow in a largely uncertain environment is a test of one’s critical thinking and decision-making abilities. BMM graduates who are looking to enter the consulting field should work on polishing these faculties.

The average salary of a Business Consultant is 11.5 lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox.

12. Corporate Communications Manager

Still need options before deciding what to do after BMM? Corporate Communications Manager are professionals who oversee all the internal and external communications of a company. Big corporate houses have a dedicated department for this purpose.

With the relevant qualifications, skills, and experience, you can advance from an entry-level position to heading the enterprise’s corporate communications function. These positions have a bearing on how all stakeholders (employees and customers) perceive the organization’s values and culture.

The average salary of a Corporate Communications Manager is 10.6 Lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox.

Check out: 8 Invaluable Skills MBA Degree Helps You Improve

13. News Anchor

Media houses and news channels may prefer applicants with industry experience, formal educational credentials, and other relevant qualifications for the position of news anchor. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant domain may be the minimum required education.

Formal academic programmes can assist you in developing the subject matter knowledge and key skills required for this role. Most aspiring candidates pursue a bachelor’s degree in a field such as journalism, mass communication, or broadcasting.

Undergraduate journalism programmes typically emphasise the acquisition of beneficial knowledge and skills in areas such as journalistic ethics, investigative journalism, broadcasting, research methodologies, and interview techniques.

Popular courses include the BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Journalism, the BA in Journalism and Mass Communication, the BA in Mass Media, the BA in English with Journalism, the B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) in Journalism, and the B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) in Journalism and the B.Sc. in Journalism and Mass Communication. You can advance to administrative and senior positions by pursuing post-graduate programmes in any of these disciplines.

A News Anchor gets an average salary of 3 lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox.

14. Brand Manager 

Another very lucrative career path is the role of a Brand Manager. Brand management is a company’s strategy to increase brand equity and value. It is a continuous process that evaluates a brand’s alignment with an organisation. Brand Management includes a variety of communication tools that allow for an effective portrait of the brand among thousands of products.

The brand’s success is entirely dependent on the company’s effective brand management system. A strong brand boosts profit margins, attracts customers, and protects the company in any difficult situation. The advantage of brand management is that you can work in various sectors, from the fashion industry to the FMCG industry.

The average salary of a Brand Manager in India is 12 lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox. Since a Brand Manager can work in multiple industries, it is one of the most sought-after BMM jobs in this field.

15. Columnist

BMM scope extends job opportunities for columnists are expanding on a daily basis. A columnist can work in a variety of settings, including the government, the private sector, and the public sector. There are numerous job opportunities in this field. One can work as a business administrator and developer, a reporter, a service writer, a chief political reporter, a CEO opportunity, and many other jobs.

A columnist must analyse news and write a column for publication or broadcast based on their own experience and knowledge of the subject matter. He gathers information and develops subject perspectives through research,  experience, interviews, and participation at functions such as political events, news conferences, sporting events, and community engagements.

Their job entails indoor and outdoor work and extensive travel, including to foreign countries. They are generally spacious, well-lit, and comfortable. The average salary of a Columnist in India is 3 lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox.

16. Editor

In a career as an editor, individuals decide which news story should appear first and which is of less importance to readers given current circumstances. You’ve probably read newspapers, tabloids, and magazines. But have you wondered who keeps correcting the copy for grammatical or factual errors?

An editor is a senior media professional who double-checks the figures, facts, and language of the copy submitted by copywriters, stringers and reporters before it is released. Students interested in becoming editors should pursue, an MA in Journalism and Mass Communication, Bachelor of Mass Media, or both.

In the content-based industry, an editor is a senior management position. He is in charge of the content and style of the content that will be published. An editor is responsible for everything published in a newspaper, magazine, or tabloid, including the placement of elements beside stories.

An editor is in charge of assigning ideas for new stories to cover. He or she reads the submitted content, proofreads it, and verifies the facts. The editor’s job is to finalise stories for publication submission. The average salary of an Editor in India is 4 lacs per annum, according to AmbitionBox. The job of an Editor is surely one of the most lucrative BMM jobs in the industry.

Essential skills for Thriving in Careers Following a BMM Degree  

In my experience, thriving in careers following a BMM degree requires a specific skill set. These essential skills include:  

• Communication Skills: Effective written and verbal communication is vital in marketing and media.  
• Creativity: Media and advertising highly value the ability to think outside the box and generate innovative ideas.  
• Analytical Thinking: Analyzing data and trends is crucial, especially in market research and analytics roles.  
• Digital Proficiency: Familiarity with digital tools, social media, and content creation is essential in today’s media landscape.  
• Adaptability: Given the constantly evolving media industry, being adaptable and open to change is an asset.  
• Project Management: Organizing and managing projects efficiently is critical in various media-related roles.  

These skills can significantly enhance your prospects and enable you to excel in careers after earning your BMM degree.  

Conclusion

The list of career options after BMM that we’ve explored here aims to address the question that plagues many young minds: “What to do after BMM?” We hope this article has provided valuable insights into potential career paths in the dynamic field of media and communication.  

As you embark on this exciting journey, consider factors such as the time commitment, level of difficulty, and course costs before making your decision. Each of the best courses after BMM mentioned here holds the promise of a rewarding job, allowing you to begin your professional adventure with confidence.  

While the opportunities presented here are promising, remember that proper guidance and networking can open even more lucrative and fulfilling doors. Use this resource as a reference point and a stepping stone toward your dreams. With determination, dedication, and the right choices, you can carve a successful and fulfilling career path in media and communication. So, go forth and follow your aspirations!