Setting Myself Up for Success
- Benjamin Katz
- Jul 31, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 19, 2022
How I’m Better Preparing Myself for a Career in PR
Like so many others, I struggled with finding a job during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was hard to grapple with the fact that I already felt unqualified for anything I came across, and now I needed to limit myself to remote opportunities, which were hard to come by. I graduated in 2019 with a BA in sociology, but I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. All I knew was that my strongest quality was my sociability.
After graduating, a lot of the jobs I was interested in applying for were in the field of communications; jobs in social media, Public Relations (PR), and marketing, just to name a few. I didn’t have the experience nor the writing samples that employers expected of an applicant in these jobs, and it was too late for most internships I came across online to want to hire me. I felt like I couldn’t progress professionally, so eventually, I made the decision to go back to school.
Last year, I decided to apply to the University of Florida’s (UF) Master’s of Arts in Mass Communication (MAMC) program; I was offered a spot beginning in the spring 2022 semester. I chose to specialize in PR because the field is all about building relationships between companies and their publics. The program allows me to take electives in other specializations, which is perfect because it gives me the opportunity to explore the other areas within the field of communications.
So far, I have really enjoyed my time as a grad student. I took an introduction to audiences course as an elective with my core PR courses; it was the perfect transition from sociology to communications. I have made it my goal to utilize every resource available to me as a student at UF to set myself up for success after graduating. Here are a few of the ways that I have already taken advantage of my time as a student:
Asking for Advice — As someone new to PR, I have been asking my professors tons of questions. I want to learn and I want to prove to myself that I am taking this opportunity seriously to avoid being back at square one when I graduate out of the program. I had no idea how to put together a PR campaign, so naturally, I would ask for feedback on my assignments to make sure I was meeting the expectation, even if this meant finishing days in advance. Something I made sure to do at the end of every semester as an undergrad was to email my professors, expressing my gratitude for all their help and teaching. I also sought advice for succeeding and getting my foot in the door. As a grad student, I still make sure to express my appreciation to the professors I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn from.
Applying for Another Credential — Something I noticed before I began my first semester as an MAMC student was that UF also offered certificates; much shorter programs in a few of the same specializations offered in the degree program. Considering most of the classes I was interested in taking as my electives were social media courses, I decided that the Social Media Graduate Certificate was the perfect complement to my degree. Of course, I confirmed with my advisors that I could take the four social media classes to fulfill both my degree and the certificate before applying. It was even better because in my first PR courses, I learned that social media was changing the way PR was practiced because of the fact that companies can utilize it to directly engage with their audiences.
Increasing my Online Presence —Now that I am both a PR and Social Media student, it became apparent that I needed to build a stronger presence online. I have already learned the importance of social media as it pertains to opportunities, networking, and, most importantly, making myself stand out. Networking was another thing that, looking back, I realized I didn’t do much of as an undergrad; I guess I didn’t really know how to network. Twitter was always my favorite platform, but I mostly used it anonymously, so I needed to create new accounts attached to my name. Now, I treat it as if I’m having meaningful conversations with other professionals, just online. It’s not even like I pretend I’m someone else; I still enjoy tweeting my opinions on tv shows, movies, video games, and Disney.
Writing More — Being a student has definitely kept me more motivated to write. Through my social media courses, I wrote a story on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and its influence on current platforms and how we communicate online. I also wrote about the importance of niche platforms, social media sites designed for specific audiences. Blog posts are the type of content I enjoy creating because I find them to be the most rewarding and an overall great medium for storytelling. When I’m not writing for school, you will find blog posts on various forms of entertainment; video games, movies, tv shows, and Disney.
Landing an Internship — I mentioned earlier that it was too late for me to apply for internships because I was not a student and too much time had passed since I graduated. Well, one of the main goals in pursuing my master’s degree was to reopen the door to internships. With the help of my advisors, I found a boutique agency to apply for and was offered the spot. This fall semester, I will enroll in the professional internship course and receive credit towards my degree and experience for my resume.
The moral of the story is not that you have to go back to school to succeed. What I want you to take away is that you should take advantage of any resources you may have at your disposal. Continue writing. Build an online presence. Start a website to showcase your work. These are all ways to show off your potential and make yourself stand out.
What steps are you taking to set yourself up for success?
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