We have written previously about 10 Signs if you’re made for Public Relations, and 10 Reasons Why Public Relations Careers Rock. Here’s a bonus read on what you will gain if you choose to study public relations.
Students of PR, especially those who have joined an institute or a programme created specifically for PR, get incredible exposure to the world of communications and reputation management, with a great deal of insights into brands and how they interact with the world around them. In addition to that, there are some surprising experiences and learnings that students of PR takeaway as bonuses.
Researching information quickly from a variety of sources, analysing it and using it (for designing a campaign, for e.g.) is typical for a student of PR. if you choose to study public relations you will get a lot of practice of doing this for assignments, live projects etc. By the end of the programme you are likely to be really quick at it, a skill that is highly useful in the professional world.
Being short and sweet in what you say or write is central to public relations. As you study public relations, you may have to present the same idea in written or spoken form, as an infographic or an article, as a 30 minute presentation or on a 3 minute phone call. Situation will vary but with time you will learn how to use it to the fullest.
The right institute of PR will train their students in being up to date with news and happenings in real time (especially on topics and brands that concern you). This can be achieved through several tools like Google Alerts or Twitter, but importantly, you will develop the habit of staying updated. When you start working, it will be an asset to know what’s happening before the rest of the world does.
(Related: Check out our Twitter handle where we share a lot of insights on PR daily)
While you study public relations you may have several assignments and projects where ideas are presented to a group. This will help you become more confident and comfortable at public speaking, which is largely about practice, and there will be plenty of it while studying PR.
PR involves trying to understanding people, what motivates and inspires people, and how to work alongside them. Through your public relations course you are likely to get a second hand perspective on how people react to brands, events, and situations, but also a first-hand perspective by the interaction and team working experience you will have with your course-mates
As you will get exposed to different kinds of industries, companies and brands, your idea of careers will change. It will grow from being narrow to only the kind of work you want to do, to a much broader idea of where you want to do it.
This is especially if you join a public relations course in the financial capital of India – Mumbai, where most corporates (who are clients to PR firms) operate. A good programme will also give you opportunities to interact with and learn from the corporate world as a student.
(Related: PRAXIS – Students of PR School SCoRe on building the World’s Largest PR Summit)
Throughout a Public relations course you will be exposed to working in large teams and overall professionalism and work ethic in your approach will have to increase. This can be a bridge between being a student and a professional, and it is even more important in the world of PR as people management and time management.
Being a PR student does not mean you HAVE to be creative, but creativity flows during PR studies, as it is applied in working on ideas. Successful PR campaigns are built on out-of-the-box ideas and as you read and learn about PR campaigns you get to see the creativity being applied, and can acquire it yourself.
Indian PR is booming, and anyone who gets specialised training today will get a head start in the world of PR, as PR firms are thirsty for talent. A study by The Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) found out that by 2020, there will be a need for 5000 well trained post graduate PR professionals just in the top PR firms of India. Which is a very big number given there are very few institutes training students specifically on PR (SCoRe is in fact, the only one dedicated only to PR education)
So that is our list. What do you think? Do you know of any other bonuses of studying PR? Would you like to know more about careers in PR or how fit it is for you? Drop us a comment here or call us for a counselling session:
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