By: Caroline Silva
If you're like me, you get asked "So what do you want to do with that?" every time you tell someone you are a PR major. The term "public relations" is so broad and encompassing that it can seem daunting, but it actually works to our advantage. We have such a wide range of opportunities at our feet because of the broad nature of our major. Think about it, every industry needs PR. The hard part is deciding which industry is right for you.
Because the nature of our profession gives us different opportunities in a variety of fields, it's important that we find our individual niche. The best way to do this is to focus on your personal interests and passions-- what gets you excited to get out of bed every morning. And if you don't quite know what those are yet, don't stress! The best way to find out is through trial and error.
Take Allie Vlk, our Director of Internal Communications, for example. Allie thought she knew exactly what niche of PR was for her...fashion PR. So she took a summer internship with a fashion designer in New York. However, she quickly found out that fashion PR was not for her and not at all what she thought it was. She realized that what she really cared about was issues-based PR, such as working for nonprofits or for ethically inclined companies. Does she regret taking the fashion internship in New York? Just the opposite! She was thankful that she had the opportunity to discover what she really liked and disliked before accepting a full-time position in a niche that wasn't for her.
Now it doesn't take moving to New York to discover where your passions lie. For Allie, that worked. But everyone has a different way of discovering their own passions, whether it's taking different courses in new topics, shadowing a professional in the field, or just doing some research online about what certain industries are like. UGA PRSSA is here to help you on this journey to finding your perfect niche. If you haven’t been keeping up with our social media accounts, I suggest you open a new tab and follow us on Twitter, because we are currently running a campaign that will help you in these very endeavors.
We launched our #ThisIs____ campaign a few weeks ago. Every two weeks, we will be discussing/sharing articles about different industries to help you learn more about what practicing PR means in each industry. Hopefully this inspires you to do a little more of your own research to see which industry is right for you! Each industry has its pros and cons, ups and downs, and specific characteristics that make it unique. Knowing these differences can make all the difference in helping you apply for jobs when it comes time to graduate.
Here are some of the PR fields that you will be seeing in our campaign over the next few months. Simply search the hashtags for each individual concentration to learn more about each one. For example, search #ThisIsFashionPR for all things fashion publicity, and #ThisIsSportsPR for all things sports and athletics.
- Fashion PR
- Sports
- Music
- Tech
- Political
- Nonprofit
- Health
- Entertainment
- Corporate Communication
- Agency vs. In-house
- Food
- Travel
- Crisis Communication
- Research
We hope you enjoy reading about these industries as much as we have fun researching them for you. And we hope that our campaign helps you determine which path is best for you (or at least get you on the right track to thinking about it).
