Dear Class of 2018,

I wrote a mail for the inaugural batch last year which you can read here. As you complete the Post Graduate programme in Public Relations at the world’s only #PRSchool and embark on a new journey in the world of work I will remind you to keep the SCoRe values close to your heart and apply them to every thought and action. These five words will act as a mentor when a human one does not seem to be around.

Be Street-smart: The ten months of sweat and toil was mainly to convert smart people into street-smart people. How does a smart person differ from a street-smart person? It’s simple. The latter knows what the best opportunities are and goes close to them. A street-smart person does the same but also creates Plan B in case the opportunity one is aiming for does not materialise. Always have your Plan B ready for a client, for a campaign, for a crisis, for a piece of content you write, for a creative idea you share and for a counselling session you are headed for.

Be Courageous: Do not be afraid to embrace challenges. Always choose the road less travelled. Do not take short cuts unless that short-cut guarantees you a safe and secure future. Do not hesitate to ask questions. And most of all do not be afraid to try. Because the worst that can happen when you try is failure and the best is success. But by not trying we are being foolish and doing ourselves great disservice. Remember that whatever you do you will ensure that you are collecting experiences to make you stronger and wiser.

Be Outstanding: There is no place for mediocrity. Do not forget that there is no silver medal winner. There are only gold medal losers. Excellence and Passion together make someone or something outstanding. These two can only happen to practice and perseverance. If you wait for things to happen to you, they may or may not happen. Make things happen, because then you will be in complete control of the future. Create award winning work. Delight your clients. No one is indispensable but great talent is loved. Be that great talent that is loved by the company you work for.

Be Restless: Never stop at your pursuit for greater things. Be curious constantly. Read voraciously. Travel extensively. And ensure that learning never stops. Let your spirit of wanting to know more in order to make a difference become contagious. Speed is of the essence, but error free task completion is critical too. So be hungry for knowledge. Make mistakes but never repeat them. Create new paths and leave a legacy. That is what restless people do. Leave no stone unturned till you reach the milestones you set for yourself. Most importantly never give up and never give in.

Be Ethical: The cornerstone of the Post Graduate Programme in Public Relations that we created is to build talent that writes well, thinks fast, executes brilliantly and works hard. But all that has to be done with the highest standard of ethics. Therefore, you will never lift someone else’s work and call it your own. You will not be tempted by a short-term gain for a long-term fall. And you will set benchmarks that will make yourself proud when you look back at your early years. You are not just the future of the profession but the present as well.

I will stop here and wish you well as you start to fly into some of the finest companies around, to put theory into practice and make a lasting impression. All the best! We are proud of what you have accomplished as the second batch of the Post Graduate programme in Public Relations at SCoRe.

– Amith Prabhu

Amith is the Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe)- A post graduate institute of Public Relations built by the Indian PR community. He is also the founder of the PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS, India’s annual summit of reputation management professionals. He can be reached at @amithpr on twitter.