Using the Rhetoric and Communication Department of the University of California at Davis as an example, this paper addresses the problems of small communications departments that face increasing student enrollments by both majors and students seeking to enhance their communications skills, with no additional faculty to handle such a load. After an introduction defining the characteristics of a small department, the paper raises the issue of careerism--the emphasis in undergraduate communication courses on teaching only those communication skills and applied theory required by the business community. After citing fallacies of careerism, such as the desire for a prescription of behaviors and skills without the necessary diagnostic training to know when to apply them, the paper describes changes resulting from careerism, including the booming popularity of business, professional speaking, and organizational communication courses. The paper argues that while large speech departments can create separate courses in attractive areas, the small department must adapt existing group communication courses to parallel the skills required by the business community. The paper concludes with a description of class activities and assignments accommodating the desire for increased career relevance, and with an admonition to retain the traditional theories, fundamentals, and general principles of communication in the midst of such changes. (Nine endnotes are included.) (JG)