It’s okay. I’ve been there. The majority of us have, and if I can give one piece of advice it is don’t sweat it.
Honestly, I didn’t even start college in PR, and when I decided to change my major I didn’t know what to change it to. After a simple suggestion of public relations, I looked into it and went for it. I’m saying all of this to show that if you don’t know what you want to do, it’s okay. If you don’t have the next five years planned out exactly, it’s okay. If you don’t even know what public relations is, it’s okay.
I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve been asked what PR is or what I will be doing for the rest of my life, so what is public relations exactly?
The Profession
One great thing about PR is that it is so broad. There are three big decisions you can make when looking at PR jobs that will make your career different than anyone elses.
The first is a simple either-or question: Do I want to work in a firm or in-house at a company?
The next question is what area do I want to work in? Sports, entertainment, non-profit, travel, the list goes on and on.
A third question is what type of work do you want to do. Social media, event planning, a writing-heavy job.
Just by looking at those three questions, you can see how many options there are and how anyone could find something they enjoy.
Another great plus about PR is the need for it. Every company needs someone handling public relations, and that will never change. While it once involved traditional media, such as television and newspapers, many efforts are now focused on social media. As trends continue, public relations practitioners will continue to fill in and manage these new avenues.
The Coursework
Not only are the types of PR jobs many, but the information you learn in college courses cover a wide range of areas.
News releases, social media strategy, target audiences, campaigns, these will all become part of your daily vocabulary.
After writing more articles than you can count in required journalism courses, you grow to love writing. Once you understand the correct technique and find your voice, you have developed a truly useful skill for whatever future you pursue.
Another side of public relations is communications. As a PR practitioner, it is important to communicate well and effectively with consumers, stakeholders and other employees. You begin to see the importance of nonverbal communication and the best ways to communicate one-on-one versus in a group setting.
The Internships and Opportunities
One of the requirements for public relations majors is a semester-long internship, but why stop at one? Something I’ve learned while applying for jobs is how much experience future employers seek. Internships are easy to find around campus and the community. Not only are there several, but the opportunities that come with each will exceed your expectations. They also present the option of helping find what areas you like or need to improve.
I could go on for days about my internships and the incredible things I've been able to do because of them.
I've thrown a lot of terms out there that you may have never heard or concepts you're unsure about, but I'd love to be asked to explain more. Come on, you know you're curious!
Simply put, public relations allows you to follow your passions and work first-hand doing what you love in an atmosphere that pushes you to be your best.
