Marketing and Communications Officer Career Profile
- Career Name - Marketing & Communications Officer
- Category - Media / Health / Education / Law & Enforcement / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation / Zoos, Aquariums, Museums and Theme Parks
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic Subjects - Language, Business Studies, Biology
- Required Education - High School Certificate
- Species Worked With - Pets, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
- Short Courses - 340 Rewards = Points +Badges
Do you want to work as a marketing and communications officer?
READ: This page helps you read about the career and the information you need to decide whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTOR
UPDATED:
29 April 2024
Adverts:
What is a marketing and communications officer?
A marketing and communications officer is a professional responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies and communication plans to promote an organization’s products, services, brand, or mission. They play a crucial role in managing the organization’s external and internal communication efforts, building relationships with stakeholders, and enhancing brand visibility and reputation.
Alternative Names
Alternative names for a marketing and communications officer may vary depending on the specific focus or context of their role within an organisation. Some alternative titles or roles that encompass aspects of marketing and communications include:
- Marketing Coordinator
- Communications Specialist
- Brand Manager
- Public Relations Officer
- Corporate Communications Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Media Relations Coordinator
- Content Marketing Manager
- Social Media Manager
- Community Engagement Coordinator
These alternative names reflect the diverse responsibilities, specialties, and functions within the field of marketing and communications, encompassing various aspects of strategic planning, messaging, branding, and engagement.
What does a Marketing and Communications Officer do?
Category:
Art & Design
Focus:
The primary focus of Animal Cartoonists is to draw animated cartoons. Sometimes cartoons will consist of just one picture, while others will consist of several pictures. This type of cartoon is often referred to as a comic strip. A very long series of cartoons is often referred to as a graphic novel. Cartoons may also be used in creating animated films.
Daily Tasks:
- Discuss brief with clients
- Develop a storyboard to help the idea, drawings and speech bubbles make sense
- Prepare model drawings of each character
- Draw special effects (animated movements, shading, texture)
- Presentation to clients of work done
- Create and add new work to a portfolio
- Administration and filing
Where they work:
Environment –
Animal Cartoonists normally work indoors in a design studio or office setup. They do also spend some time in the outdoors, studying the animals they need to draw.
Places of Employment –
Most Animal Cartoonists work privately, under contract for various clients. They can also be employed by newspapers, TV and film production houses, comic book designers, and website designers.
Average Salary:
As most animal cartoonists are self employed, their income is based on obtaining contracts. On average the income per year is around $45,000. This will differ from country to country.
Difficulties:
The most difficult part is always to get your cartoons seen by future clients. For this a lot of cartoonists need to be well versed in the setup and use of social media. Animal Cartoonists may work long hours and over weekends and holidays to finish work within tight deadlines.
Future growth and Possibilities:
Depending on how talented or successful cartoonists are, their cartoons or comic strips may get syndicated, meaning that they will regularly appear in a certain publication. The growth of syndicated cartoonists is slow (around 3% per year) with a lot of competition, although the market in digital (online) cartooning has definitely shown a very good growth. In comparison, the growth of animators for film and TV has shown a very good growth over the years, especially those that specialize in specific rendering software.
3. Which Skills are required?
The skills required for a career as a marketing and communications officer can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills:
- Good business knowledge
- Good writing skills
- Basic customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
4. Which Subjects must I have at School?
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
5. What will I need to Study?
Minimum Requirements:
To become an Animal Cartoonist doesn’t require formal training, but many do go on to study a College Diploma or even a Bachelor’s Degree in visual arts, English, or communications to perfect their skills. Short Courses are essential, especially when you do make use of computer software to draw and render your drawings.
Focus:
Major –
A good background in drawing is essential, so be sure to perfect your doodling and sketching skills.
Short Courses –
The drawing and coloring aspect of cartoons can be done by hand or with specific software.
Duration:
The duration of College and Bachelor’s Degrees can be up to 3 or 4 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
Possible Career Preparation Paths:
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Possible Combined Career Paths:
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Stepping Stone Career:
Being an animal cartoonist can also be used as a stepping stone career. A stepping stone career is one which is used to help you get to another career, normally because the other career is too difficult to reach (sometimes due to things like high fees etc). You can begin as an intern animal cartoonist after basic short courses and expert guidance (maybe working under a mentor). The money made can then be used to pay for studies towards a promotion or another career, and the experience helps in gaining knowledge. One paying to help get to the other.
Some of the possible paths:
Training and apprenticeship:
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal careers, most of the skills you will need as a cartoonist will be acquired through practice. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions (or junior cartoonist positions) require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior cartoonist or expert.
Join the Animal Cartoonist Group in STEP 8 to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average entry level of education across the career:
6. Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.
Learn more about requirements by joining OZT in STEP 8.
Professional Associations:
7. Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards animation.
8. Join the OZT community
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming an animal cartoonist.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being an Animal Cartoonist, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu, and search for something different.
Other interesting Careers
Career Profiles and Resources
Career Mentors are Members who assist by volunteering to keep each Career Page factual and current, while mentoring Students in the related Career Group.
Contributions by expert members are always appreciated to allow the Students to make informed decisions. Please add your contribution through the attached Form:
List of Career Mentors/Educators who have contributed to this Career info:
One Zoo Tree
A few pictures about the Career:
Some of the best websites to help you decide on the Career:
