Entry-level positions for aspiring community relations specialists
Rhonda highlights that a utility like SMUD offers diverse entry-level opportunities beyond the obvious, including "corporate communications writers," media specialists, engineers, and economists, noting that SMUD's 2300 employees come from various backgrounds, and encourages students to explore internships at smud.org/careers to "start figuring out where you wanna take your career."
Communications, Utility Industry, Internships, Community Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rhonda Staley-Brooks
Director, Community Relations, Outreach & Support
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
California State University Sacramento
Executive Masters Business Administration
Psychology
Energy & Utilities
Communication and Marketing
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Communications roles exist within utilities, including corporate communications writers, speech writers, and media relations positions (on-camera opportunities).
2. A wide variety of roles are available within the utility sector beyond traditional engineering, such as economics, facilities management, and community engagement.
3. SMUD offers internships for both high school and college students as a way to explore different career paths within the organization; interested students should visit smud.org/careers.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate or graduate student might want to consider?
Most people wouldn't think of communications as being used in a utility. I actually work in the communications department. This includes corporate communications writers, speech writers, and those who handle media relations. We also have people who are interested in being in front of the camera.
Of course, we are a utility. So, alongside communications, there's engineering, economics, and many other fields. We have almost 2300 employees at SMUD, all coming from different backgrounds.
We also have facilities staff, like linemen who climb poles. And then there are community engagement roles, like mine, where we interact with the public. I encourage students to visit smud.org/careers.
SMUD offers internships for high school and college students. This is a great way to start exploring potential career paths.
Advizer Personal Links