BYU-I VISUAL COMM SUCCESS STORY: THANE CLARK
Marketing Coordinator at Centriq – Kansas City
Thane graduated with a Visual Comm emphasis in the BYU-I Comm Department in December 2012. He is now a Marketing Coordinator for Centriq Training in Kansas City. Centriq, a successful and growing mid-size company that trains IT personnel for large corporations like AT&T and Sprint. I was recently in Kansas City and met up with Thane. I was fascinated to visit Thane’s company and learn how he landed his great job as a marketing coordinator, which is a job that normally goes to a Business Marketing graduate.
Thane credits his versatile visual and writing skills, Comm 316 website and Comm 130 print portfolio. He says his WordPress self-hosted wesbite and social media experience are becoming a bigger part of his job every day.
Thane uses the Adobe programs to design print projects, takes photos for the website, shoots corporate head shots and produces videos for YouTube. Thane says his decision to switch from English to the Visual Comm emphasis in the Comm Dept. proved to be a wise move for his career path. We are hearing from more and more Communication graduates, regardless of their emphasis, they spend most of their time doing visual media. Employers are hiring those who have Visual Communication skills. Watch this video to learn why Centriq hired Thane, a Visual Comm grad, to be their Marketing Coordinator.
This really is a neat story about Thayne! I had him for a semester as a TA for Comm 130 with Bro.Lybbert. So I know he’s quite the amazing guy. I learned a lot here, as I may not be a Visual Comm Major, I’m still a Web Design and Development Major with the Web Design Emphasis. Even today for me it’s important to be well rounded knowing how to do hard coding, but I also need to know how to create layout mockups and do graphic design work.
Learning from Thayne in the video that he uses all the adobe products, codes, design everyday is a big thing which is still related to me. But the biggest thing I think I’ve learned from this video and from my classes I’ve taken from the Communications department is WordPress. In the CIT classes they don’t mention how to work WordPress or how to customize it. I know for a fact I will have clients who want me to customize WordPress themes for them. It’s a very important thing to know.
Something else I also realized from the video is that it’s good I’m getting a good background in Social Media, how to work with SEO skills and show clients that I can make a website that successful. Very important things learned from this video.
Great insights, Shannon. I am glad you have realized the value of having WordPress experience in addition to your coding skills. Using both will serve you well. Thanks for the comment!
This was a good video to watch. I think it is so crazy how important social media skills are to up and coming companies in our day. I am super glad that I have learned as much as I have about wordpress, html/css and social media in my communications classes.
It is great to hear from you, Jenae. Thanks for watching Thane’s interview!
This post is so helpful as I am preparing to graduate and find employment outside of Rexburg. I appreciate his comments and knowledge of real world experience that he has shared, it helps me to realize what I can improve on and try to learn more fully as I start applying for jobs. This is a great idea to bring in these interviews to see where graduates are going, what skills they are using and what other things the Communications program can implement. Thank you for getting this information to us.
I am glad you enjoyed the interview, Candice! Thanks for the comment.
This is such a great video! Fun to see that Thane has been so successful! Such incredible information to see what employers are wanting and asking. Thanks for sharing.
This video was really insightful because it gives students something to focus on while in school and something to look forward to in the future. With the economy the way it is these days employers are changing the way they hire, therefore we need to change the way we job hunt. One great thing about BYU-Idaho is that it provides loads of experience, especially in the communication field. Now I realize that my best chance of getting a great job, that I enjoy, is by providing evidence of past work. Thanks for the interview and tips!
I am glad you enjoyed the video interview with Thane! Thanks for stopping by my blog, Christopher!