I Wish I Knew

I went to college for this?

As many of you are beginning your career in public relations (or some form of communications, journalism, etc.) you may be asking yourself, “I went to college for this?”  Many of you probably didn’t (I have a degree in Environmental Studies) but fell into a job in communications. Most people will ask themselves this question at some point and if you haven’t, maybe you should.

Your first job (or first internship) will not be your last. It may take you two or three jobs, or 10 or 20 years to really discover your passion. However, there are a few ways to potentially speed up the process.

1)     Identify your passion. Do you love to write and love animals? Maybe a job with your local Humane Society is for you.

2)     Do multiple internships for different types of businesses specializing in different industries. Work for a PR agency. Work for a nonprofit. Work for a corporation. This will help you identify what you like and don’t like. BTW—I’ve done all three.

3)     If you’re a student, get active in student organizations, such as Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Many of these chapters take on work for local businesses and you can get a taste for different types of businesses and products.

4)     If you’ve graduated, volunteer. You may land upon something you’re really passionate about.

5)     Roadtrip Nation. This is a great book, website and TV show (www.roadtripnation.com), that helps you find your path in life.

Roadtrip Nation offers some great advice. “If you aren’t exposed to a wide range of options for how to live your life, how can you figure out what you want to do?”  Secondly, and maybe most important, “you can create roads that you’ll be passionate about while also making a living.

Explore yourself and explore your options (there are dozens of areas of expertise with PR and millions of types of companies to work for). You’ll no longer be saying, “I went to college for this?” but “College helped to prepare me for this.”

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, “I Wish I Knew.” This blog is dedicated to young professionals, and will be an extension to my monthly column by the same name, published in PR Tactics. I must say, after more than a decade in the communications field, I can’t tell you how many times I mumbled (or even said out loud) I wish I knew that or why didn’t they tell me that in school, or I should have known that. Even today, there are still things that I Wish I Knew (like your first job won’t be your last job and that’s okay).

My goal is to create a friendly environment where you can come to learn things you never knew and ask questions about things you don’t know. And I intend to deliver information and answers to you in a humorous way (mostly because I think I’m funny and work is always so serious).

Here are a few of those I Wish I Knew Things (advice to come later):

·         My first job will have little or nothing to do with my degree.

·         My first job (and even the next few) will underutilize my talents but I will learn valuable skills no matter what my job responsibilities.

·         I can always negotiate; even in my first position.

·         Complete multiple internships in multiple fields or areas, to begin learning what I like and don’t like to do.

·         My career path shouldn’t follow a strict, life plan – otherwise I’ll miss out on the best opportunities I could ever have.

I’ll leave you today with this thought. “The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation.” Pearl S. Buck