When I Grow Up

When I was five I wanted to be a garbage man so I could ride on the back of the truck. When I was six I wanted to be a ballerina. When I was twelve I wanted to be a secret agent in the FBI. When I started college I dreamed of being a journalist at a fashion magazine. Today I want to be a fabulous public relations professional. From my first dream job to my current, I have changed my mind more times than I can keep track of. My ever-changing mind is what makes public relations such an ideal career path for me. I don’t have to change my mind about what I want to do, because in the world of public relations everything changes for you. Nothing is ever exactly the same from on day to the next in PR. I think this is one of the aspects that appeals to me the most. PR professionals are constantly being challenged to solve new problems or tackle a different task. The monotony of daily life that threatens many jobs is simply not present in the world of public relations.

Everyday PR

It’s funny to think that so many people don’t understand what PR is, when we practice it everyday. As everyday people, we don’t have to hire public relations professionals or take classes to understand what we are doing; we simply know how we want ourselves to be portrayed and perceived and do what it takes to get there. Take facebook for example, we would never consider leaving an unflattering picture of ourselves tagged for the world to see or post something on somebody’s wall that might embarrass us in the future. We only allow others to see our best side on social networking sites, and will do anything in our power to keep this “public selves” as flawless and pub together as possible.

We are not only our personal publicist on social networking sites in the virtual world, but in the real world as well. We do not want to be seen in a negative light, so we always carry and present ourselves with poise and dignity. We are fun loving and social. We are organized and responsible. We are professional and dignified. We are all of our best aspects rolled into one and put on display for the public.

So, the next time someone asks what public relations is tell them it’s their daily lives. As public relations professionals, we are simply able to manage not only ourselves, but others as well.