The other day I received a call from a student studying public relations. He wanted to know what my advice was for someone looking to enter the PR field. Honestly, I still feel like I’m in college but alas I am not. So here is a short list of things that I wish I had actually retained/been informed of during school.
Technology
You know all those tricks that you learned when you were a Freshman in college, all those shortcuts, rules, in Microsoft Excel? Try really hard to remember all of those. Actually make sure you keep that notebook FOREVER (I’m not joking). It will save you time and so much frustration.
Also, it’s important to keep up on technology. I know that even I want to crawl under a rock every time some new social media platform is announced or we are switching to a new system at work, but hey you have to do it. If you can be that person that people much like myself whine to and ask 20 questions to on a daily basis about some technology, then well first of all, you’re amazing for putting up with people like me, but you will also be able to do your work much more efficiently and you will be looked at as a pro. Always good.
Internships
I know you hear this over and over again but it’s true. Internships are key to helping you not only gain valuable skills but to also help you determine exactly what it is you want to be doing. If not to determine it can at least confirm that you’re in the right field. Always nice to know you’re on the right track!
According to the Sacramento Business Journal and a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, of “20,000 graduating seniors surveyed, 52.5 percent said they had worked in at least one internship, and more than half of those interns said they were paid”. I’m skeptical of the more than half of those interns were paid part, where were those when I was searching for one? However the study found that more than 62% of those students were offered the job. This study was obviously not taken from the demographic of the wannabe fashionistas for which I completed one of my internships. Ha! However internships are still a must-have accessory for life.
internship (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
A piece of advice
It’s okay to ask clients questions. Obviously you should know your stuff but it’s okay to confirm information that you are unsure of, better to ask a couple questions then to do a project completely wrong. This might sound like stupid advice but it’s definitely something that I’ve become more comfortable with doing and would have normally been apprehensive to do. Good thing to learn if you ask me.
So there’s my quick answer to one person’s inquiry about the public relations field and life after college. The list is still growing, so check back in about 20/30 ish years when I have it all figured out. #wishfulthinking.
