If you are a first-year student studying public relations in college, there may be times when you feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of paths that you have the opportunity to navigate within this industry. I felt this way when I entered my freshman year at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2021. Three years later, I have had many different experiences and taken lots of courses within this field, and while I still have a long way to go in my professional development, I have learned so much since my first PR class and I’d like to share some advice to those who are beginning their PR journey as well.
You have probably learned by now that public relations is a fast-paced, immersive field, and it is completely normal to feel like you do not know where to start. The truth is, most people, including myself, quickly find out that this field is much more vast than they thought and serves many different purposes for companies across the world. If I could give any advice to beginner PR students, I would break it down into the following three tips:
Be open
Be curious
Be engaging
1. Be Open Some students who go into college majoring in public relations already have a dream job in mind. Whether you want to be a publicist, journalist or social media manager, it’s important to remember that there are many other possibilities available within this field. Focus on your strengths: if you find that writing papers comes easily, however it is harder for you to give speeches in front of a crowd, maybe you could look into a career where you create media kits and write press releases for a client. If you like to be creative and integrate unique designs and artwork into your papers, consider what it would be like to work in online design that utilizes infographics and e-newsletters. You will gain experience in all of this and more within your PR classes, so it’s important to tackle each new opportunity with an open mind to discover where some of your hidden strengths lie. Who knows, it might even lead you in a new direction of what you want to do as a career!
2. Be Curious Another thing that I quickly learned when I started to take PR classes is that effective PR is something that every industry needs. From entertainment to government agencies, every business can benefit from having a public relations department that successfully facilitates positive communication between the organization and its audience. Because of this, think about the different things that you are learning about or practicing in your classes and how they can be applied to different industries such as sports, hospitality or even healthcare. It may also be beneficial to try out internships in different industries as well so that you can get a better feel for which ones might work best for you and your interests.
3. Be Engaging This one might be the most important tip. In my experience, I learned the most valuable lessons in public relations through the questions I asked in class and experience I gained on my own through internships. There will be many opportunities for you to look up real cases and crises that happened to companies and you can analyze the PR problems and theories that apply to each situation. The more you do that, the more you will be able to spot PR crises or moves within companies as they are unfolding in real time! Also, do not be afraid to apply to internships to gain experience early on. Internships come in all different forms, and it could be great to engage with both in-person and remote positions to see what type works best for you and your work ethic. You can even talk to your professors or classmates about internship experiences that they’ve had and how it has helped them grow within this industry. It might inspire you to try something new or apply to a position within a field that you never thought you would get involved in.
The list of advice for students who are just starting out in the public relations industry can go on and on, but at the end of the day your experience in PR is what you make it, so make it fun! This is a great industry to work in and you will soon learn many lessons and make connections that will guide you in your professional journey! Stay tuned for more tips and tricks about navigating this industry from Virginia Tech PRSSA!