There are three opportunities that stand out, and which may be relatively impossible to find any other way; job postings, efficient networking and job exerience.

A resource such as job postings, limited to members, is something which almost ensures a valuable work experience. The best opportunities, in my opinion, are those that are not publicly listed. Many listings found, on the internet or on paper, do not provide what they claim to offer; I know this from experience. Being a member gives you an upper hand on the rest of your colleagues.

And, unfortunate as it may be, opportunity is as much about who you know as it is about talent and good work.

You also have the occasion to make an impression and showcase your work to other professionals. Why go knocking on someone’s door when you have the chance to get them to come knocking on yours.

The potential for various job experiences, even if just through volunteer work, comes in very handy. Myself, for example, I am (I think) primarily interested in marketing communications. And while there may be an area I ight potentially enjoy more, I am not willing to risk my only internship in order to “test” something out. Volunteering in various areas would provide any newcomer with the benefit of trying out different areas before making a more permanent decision as to their career path.

I think it is each professional’s responsibility to take advantage of all the resources made available to them.

When I flip through communications plans I come across a few “marketing” tactics; though some seem to be acceptable within a communications plans whereas others do not. Ultimately what I’ve found is that it simply depends on who you ask. Each P.R. professional seems to have a difference in opinion of that shady gray area where the two overlap.

 Is it Marketing or P.R.? A simple yes or no would suffice. And yet I cannot seem to get a straight answer. Isn’t it ironic how so many things within the communications field are so difficult to understand? Or more accurately, so difficult to explain.

Now, while I fear I my offend many people, (in particular P.R. people and marketing people), I must admit that to me, you can’t have one without the other. I think that in order to be an excellent P.R specialst or consultant, that you would need to be just as savy in the marketing field. As P.R. professionals, you will likely recommend, and perhaps even employ, a variety of marketing tactics. But how can you recommend something of which you do not know anything about. I think that the best P.R. programs would be equipped with a strong marketing-based course for students. And I am at times shocked at how many people disagree. They react almost offensively, as if indicating the audacity one would have to even mention the two fields in one breath.

Anyhow, wether you’re a P.R or a marketing professional, can’t we all just get along?

This has sprung to mind out of my Client Project i’ve been working on, a small design and alterations store; I’ve produced a communications plan for them. It is nothing extravagant or complicated. Simply what I’ve been taught to do in class. The goals are practical, the strategies are simple and the tactics, cheap. I strongly believe that if my client takes in my suggestions and begins to develop a few of the tactics, it may potentially garner them quite a bit of attention and new clients. The potential benefits really are amazing, especially considering the minimal amount of time and money needed.

 I can understand how the value of P.R. may get lost amidst the millions of dollars of a large complany. But, for the little man, or woman, it’s value is clear. Through helping out the little guy, I can slowly start to see where one may develop a passion for this stuff. 

As a child, I did not dream of a career in P.R. I would be shocked if anyone did. I ended up here only out of default; I didn’t know what else to do with myself. Since I started this program I have been desperately trying to find a passion for this industry. But, for me, the words “public relations” and “passion” seem to be mutualy exclusive.

As hard as I try, I cannot imagine that a job in public relations could be as fulfilling as medicine, law, or any artistic occupation. Though I wish otherwise, the idea of writing a communications plan, doing podcasts or writing articles simply does not thrill me.

I’m curious to know if this sentiment is shared by other budding P.R people. Anybody???

This world where the words “blog” and “blogosphere” seem to dominate the English language has created an anomaly; the individual who believes that his/her random words are as significant to the world as were those of Friedrich Nietzsche. It seems that everybody has been put under a spell; a misguided impression that they too can be authors, philosophers and poets.

Have the majority of people quit their day jobs in pursuit of literary expression?

It seems unsettling to me that the younger generations are being taught to spend their time reading the insignificant opinions of trivial people. Can it really be that there are individuals out there who believe that knowledge of “Tony’s day-by-day occurrences at the car shop” is of more importance than Bronté’s Wuthering Heights or Flaubert’s Madame Bovary?

I know that there are people with important things to say. I know that! But they are a minority; a rare diamond in a field of crap.

So why am I writing a blog? Because. I must. It is a compulsory part of my Post-Graduate program. So for now all I can do… is write.