As a teenager, in my high school days, two of the most humbling periods of my life were the post boards exam season vacation times. The question of “so aage kya plan hai beta?,” by all the aunts in the neighborhood, relatives in my house and parents was actually not irritating to me in any way but instead was quite eye opening. I finally had the realisation that maybe I should put aside watching the IPL this summer season a little and actually think about what I want to do.
When I first dropped the word “Public Relations” in front of my parents and relatives as my choice of career one fine evening over tea, a room full of successful doctors and engineers looked at me with peaked interest and confusion. I was knowing back then, right from its definition to how it should not be confused with marketing. They were fascinated by this information, someone in the family finally doing something new, something out of the box. In my head I felt accomplished, thinking “oh! I already was able to do some PR for PR, guess I can do this.”
During summers, I developed great interest in reading books on various online platforms where writers of my age would write and publish books of various genres. One such book, with a very basic and predictable plot I had picked up to read, had the most alien job description ever known to me back then, the job of a publicist. My interest peaked, and the Google search bar was immediately opened to help aid my understanding about this job. By the time my research was done, I was confident, this is what peaks my interest, this is what I want to do. And so, I went and declared to my parents that I will take commerce as my stream in my higher education studies, because I want to do business communications.
Two years later, after much disappointment because there was only one paragraph dedicated to the topic of public relations in my business studies textbook, I took matters in my own hands and started looking for undergraduate programmes in media and communications, hoping to learn and get more exposed to the concept of PR.
Three years into my undergraduate programme, I closely navigated the skills required in PR within me, I was firm in my mind to do something in this field. I read blogs and articles and condensed the fact that making and developing relations, writing and being quick on the feet were some of the few things out of many required to enter this field.
As I began my undergraduate programme, I started writing more and as months passed, I saw major improvements and polish in my skills. I developed many connections of importance and was smoothly able to collaborate and work on various projects with all different kinds of people. I was able to talk to people from different countries in their language, and that made me feel that maybe this too can help me expand my connections. My interest in learning new languages peaked. I started going more to the bookstores, picking up books randomly on the weekends and reading them during my free hours.
As I approached my final year, my interest in PR increased more and with faith in the skills I had developed so far in college, along with comparing it with what the internet told me to become the best in the field of public relations, I decided to apply for a programme which focuses only on PR, how it works and how to make it work.
I think one thing I like about PR is the diversity of tasks it has to offer. If you reach a certain level in the field, it keeps you on the toes. It demands something new and creative everyday. Though it sounds exhausting at times, it’s quite engrossing to think about at the same time. I must say it is so worth the risk.
I like how it’s creative, with some theoretical rules of thumb to follow. I might sound like an amateur, but at some point it rather sounds quite exciting to work in PR. In this field, you don’t know what it will throw at you. I feel this industry has so much for a person to sit, learn, experience and resonate from others’ experiences. What makes it more interesting is the fact that still not many people know about this profession as a field. It’s sometimes nice to sit and explain to people about it and learn their reactions.
And that’s why I chose PR. There is no extraordinary, deep reason for it. When I first came to know about this field at fifteen, I was sure to pursue it. I wasn’t keen on shifting the trajectory of my career to any other profession. The thought of PR always lingered around. The skills required piqued my curiosity. The more I read about it, the more I was determined to build a solid career in this field.
Ananya Kushwaha is selected for the Class of 2025. Hailing from Bengaluru, she has a knack of storytelling. She wants to build a career in the communications field as a PR professional. A keen learner, Ananya is ready to start her journey at SCoRe and become a promising professional.
