Dream Job (part 2)

While journalism is not completely out of the picture, I've also grown interested in another industry - public relations.

In college, I was involved with student government (ASUP), most notably the Campus Program Board (CPB), a student-run event programming organization.  During my time as CPB Director, I gained experience in event planning, which was rewarding, enjoyable and challenging.  During my first term, I was still convinced that I would pursue my dream job of being a journalist and figured I can do event planning on the side, like as a wedding planner.  As graduation loomed closer, I was torn about what I wanted to do.  My adviser, Jillian, suggested public relations because I would be able to combine my skills as a writer and an event planner.

I didn't know much about public relations, but luckily I was able to take a course about it before I graduated.  I got a basic understanding, but during my first post-grad summer, I talked to someone at Burson-Marsteller, who said I had a superficial image of public relations.

It wasn't until I moved to New York that I got a better understanding of this new dream job...

Thanks to my internships with City Parks Foundation and Baltz & Company, I have a better understanding of public relations.  While it's from an intern's perspective, it's better than where I started.

According to PRSA, the official definition of public relations is:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

From those experiences, I found out how public relations was used to connect organizations with their publics, whether that was through a variety of media outlets like television, newspapers, magazines, or social media as well as events and public appearances.  Through my internships, I found that public relations allows me to practice and learn more about communication - verbal, written, in person, online, over the phone, one-on-one, or in a group setting.  It definitely keeps me on my toes and will continue to do so as communication change with technology.

I'm interested in learning more and figuring out which field is my forte, whether that is non-profit, food/hospitality, technology, travel/tourism, corporate communications, or in-house among others.

While the ultimate goal for this dream job is not concrete quite yet, I'm sure that once I get more into it with a company I love, that goal will formulate.  As for now, I'm taking it one day at a time and hoping to optimize the next opportunity to officially start my public relations career.

Dream Job (Part 1)

"What is your dream job?"

"Where do you see yourself in 2-3 years?"

I've been so concerned about finding a job now that I haven't stopped to think about what I'm working toward career-wise.  It was easier seeing where my life was going in high school and the beginning of college.

With a Communication Studies degree with emphasis in Journalism, I dreamed of becoming an anchor for the TODAY Show, starting at the local news stations at home and moving up from there.

Skyped in as a Viewer Question on the TODAY Show. (Jan. 2012)

I also dreamed of becoming editor-in-chief of a magazine that fancied my interests - travel, lifestyle, fitness, etc.  I was thinking National Geographic, SELF, or Marie Claire, for instance.

Don't get me wrong. I still love everything about journalism. I love creating stories, reaching out to different people to get the story and connecting with an audience through words.  I love that thrill of writing a story, and the words just seem to fall together perfectly.  To me, writing is like a puzzle, and it's amazing to figure it out while creating a masterpiece.

It was a little discouraging to find out that journalism was deemed a "useless" degree, according to the Daily Beast's list.  It also didn't help that many newspapers were going out of business or downsizing while I was in my junior and senior year.

In addition, I don't have that experience of working on the school newspaper or the yearbook (except for in middle school, high school and sophomore year in college).  Without this essential experience along with journalism internships,  I felt - and still feel - like it's harder for me to apply for reporter positions to continue on that path, especially without published writing samples.

To be continued...