I am thinking of majoring in Public Relations...any opinions of this field?

Question

I would like to hear especially from people in the field...do you enjoy it? Any regrets?

If your not in this field...any comments are welcome.

Answer 1

Just as a person who has is job hunting right now, I would recommend choosing something that is easier to get a job in. The job market is really tight right now. There are a LOT of people who major in that field, so it is really competitive to get an entry-level job. Those who aren't lucky enough to get a job in that field end up with jobs that they don't like (ie- waitressing).

Perhaps if you are dead set on majoring in PR, you could double major in something that you are guaranteed to get a job in as a back-up plan- accounting or finance are always a safe bet.

Answer 2

I'm a PR practitioner with 30 years in the field. I have a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in journalism. I'm also accredited by PRSA.

I've worked in a number of industries (including the agency side and one stint of nearly 10 years as a solo practioner) I enjoy the field very much and recommend it highly. It has it's frustrations but that's true of any field.

Any first job is hard to find. With a few exceptions (nursing, for example) first jobs are hard to find in most any field.

Here are my suggestions:

First -- know how to write. If you can't write well, this probably isn't the field for you. I think that, by the time you get to college, if you don't have a basic ability to write, you're probably not going to develop it. You can polish your writing but I think the basic talent is either there or it's not.

Second -- build a portfolio. I really like local papers as a training ground. Every paper has a need for freelance writers (known as stringers.) Smaller papers are especially dependent on them. Do a reasonable job and they'll give you as much work as you can handle. Don't plan on getting rich as a stringer -- the pay is lousy -- but the experience AND the clips are invaluable. They'll demonstrate your ability in a very tangible way and help seperate you from the inexperienced crowd. Then, look for an internship. Your college or university might be able to help you there. Again, the pay may not be good (or the internship might even be unpaid) but the experience will be invaluable. But, a word of caution -- you need to have basic writing skills first. If you can't put together a basic news story and/or press release, you won't be succesful.

Third -- have the widest possible skill set. You want to be able to shoot pictures, put together a powerpoint presentation, have basic design skills, etc. The broader your skill set, the easier it will be to find a job. You will still have one area in which you're stronger, but it's particularly important to have a broad range of abilities when you're entering the profession.

Fourth -- understand that there are mixed opinions as to the value of a degree in public relations. PRSA Tactics (one of the public relations society's pubs) just published an article showing about a 50/50 split in the profession. Personally, I would rather see a degree in journalism. Whatever your degree -- make sure your course of study emphasized writing. Then, some PR courses that talk about theory and practice on top of the writing can be useful.

You might also see if there's a local chapter of PRSSA (the student wing of PRSA) in your area. It will put you together with both other students and local PR professionals.

Sorry if that's a bit long winded but I hope it is helpful.