In the beginning…
Posted by PRGirlz Alumni on February 7th, 2007
It occurred to me recently that I’ve never written about how I got into PR in the first place. Which is odd since it’s a question I hear almost as often as “and what IS PR?” So here’s my story: I, like most of the free world, didn’t know too much about PR. I knew I liked to write but that was about it. In my third year of university, a friend recommended me to work with her doing promotions. It was for a small marketing company in Leaside and involved going to 4 or 5 bars during the night and promoting a newly released film with games and giveaways. It wasn’t something I thought I’d be good at since I can be shy, but I really liked it and quickly shed my shell in favour of acting like a fool in a public place.
The job was perfect since it was a few nights a month and fit in with my night owl lifestyle. I’ve never been a huge partier, but I was up, so why not get paid for it? We’d start out around 9:30, and go to our scheduled bars, finishing up around 1:30 or 2. The money was good and I got to know the bar scene in Toronto.
From there, another friend and I got involved with a bigger marketing company. We’d do more product promotions than anything and I got to go to some fun events around the city. It was great since they’d call when they had a job and I could take it or turn it down, depending on my schedule. For every job, we’d have to go into the office for training; this involved them taking us through the same confidentiality agreements and telling us about the product we would be promoting. At one such training session, the PR and Marketing people for the product sat in. The product was toothpaste. The approach was giving out coupons at movie theatres. Brilliant? Not so much. About half way through I just knew it was going to be a disaster and hoped my bosses hadn’t set the client’s expectations to high. Who wants coupons at the movies? You want to give coupons, go to the drug store, the grocery store. Moms buy toothpaste; theatre goers aren’t so concerned with their dental health at that point.
By this point, I had learned about PR and what it involved. And I knew that if these airheads could do it, I certainly could. I became determined to get into the field so that I could fire those people and do their job better. So I set about figuring out how. I talked to people, worked for a summer at a writing and design firm, investigated and applied to Humber’s PR program and was accepted. And here I am. The rest, as they say, is history.
So now I want to know- how did you get into PR? What’s your story?
February 19th, 2007 » 5:14 pm
It’s intressting how everyone has their own story. I got into PR because I wasn’t really happy with my BA. I studied modern languages and translation and although I must admit it has given me many satisfactions and a world of knowledge, the translating as a job is way to lonely and isolated for me. It’s you, your computer and a bunch of dictionaries, that’s it! Not a lot of human contact involved. So, when I finally realized I wanted to work more with people, I came across this PR degree… and to tell you the truth, I didn’t know a single thing about PR until my first class, PR Principles.
Nowadays, I am in my second term and looking foward to my final campaign assignment (dissertation). I am much more clear now about what I want to do and why I love PR so much. It’s so intressting, challenging, creative and fun!
I have gotten so excited about PR that, along with some class mates, we decided to create a PR club at university. The aim is to bring in PR professionals to give lectures and workshos, organize networking events and trips to big agencies and newsrooms.
The idea is for all students in the communications field to join. It’s an exciting way to put our knowledge into practice and a bit of mingling with the professionals doesn’t hurt!.
So there, that’s how I got into PR.
March 22nd, 2007 » 6:07 pm
I originally wanted to go to law school and become a big wig corporate lawyer. However, a low LSAT score and little motivation to try harder forced me to reconsider my options. That is when I decided to pursue what I really love to do – write, be creative and find new ways to do the same old thing! In the 4th year of my undergrad I decided to apply to Humber PR (Go Humber!). I am finishing up classes in May and heading to High Road Communications for my internship – I am looking forward to it!
February 10th, 2009 » 1:25 pm
Dear Joscelyn,
It seems we all got her in different ways. After being in fundraising for six years, I decided it was time for a career change but did not know what path to pursue. Like Allison, I also love writing and being creative, so with the help of a job coach, I decided that public relations might be a good fit.
I am now enrolled in Humber College in my second semester and am excited to fulfill an internship in two months. However, my concern is, as much as I’m learning from my writing and marketing classes, I don’t know if I enjoy learning media relations and communication planning as much as I thought I would.
My questions are: Do you need to be an expert in all aspects of PR in order to have a fulfilling career? If I work in PR for the next year and discover it’s not for me, are there other professions I can move into with a PR certificate under my belt? And if so, will I have enough transferable skills to move seamlessly from one line of work to the next?
Thank you – any advice you have would be appreciated.
February 10th, 2009 » 5:14 pm
Hi Devorah,
Unfortunately Jos has now moved on to another organization, but I’d like to offer my thoughts instead. While I’m not a ’seasoned’ pro yet, after working in an agency for the past 5 months, I think I can say that you definitely don’t have to be an ‘expert’ in all aspects of PR to have a fulfilling career. Like anything else, there are parts that you will excel at more than others and there are parts that you will enjoy more than others. That’s one of the interesting things about PR and agency work specifically, there are always lots of different projects to work on and you get exposure to everything. Not sure I can speak much to shifting to other careers, but I can say that I think any career in communications gives you lots of transferable skills. My undergraduate degree is in Journalism and my Masters in Communications and Technology but I have experience working in marketing, employment counseling and student leadership – so yes, I think that PR (or any communications career) gives you lots of transferable skills. The ability to listen actively, speak clearly, write well and communicate effectively will help you in just about any job you land.
-Kerri