Is PR as Glamorous As Hollywood Portrays it to be?

I've been in PR for close to 10 years now (it's hard to believe). In college, I studied Journalism, hoping to be the next Christine Amanapur, but my dreams shattered in during my Junior year in college when one a college professor pulled out my story on commercial real estate and told the entire class that this was by far the worst piece of Journalism that he ever heard (okay, maybe not exactly those words, but he did say it was far by terrible), and that very same day, I dropped the class and changed tracks-I was now a PR student. I learned everything about PR, and I knew I was on the right track, especially after I aced my PR Campaigns Class, presenting a 75-page campaign on how to educate Americans in Tibet for the organization, Save Tibet.



Since then, I've worked for a number of organizations. I've even launched a PR & marketing Company during my 10 years, and I can tell you this-it can be hard; it can be dirty; and it's not as glamorous as Hollywood claims it to be. Yes, compared to some other careers, it's a lot of fun. You have the opportunity to attend fabulous events; wine and dine editors at fine restaurants, and meet and mingle with celebrities in some cases. But, you may also find yourself, touring a cement plant in a small town miles out of the city, chase down news vans when they can't find you minutes before your very first press conference, lugging an 24 pound themose of coffee for an event from Starbucks at least two-three times in a less than four hour period, and most of all, be the one to bring bad news if not all the time-most of the time. Sound glamorous?



Look, I am not here to discourage young, aspiring public relations professionals to not move forward with their dreams because the truth of it all is this-I love it, and I would not trade in my job for another one. I love the adrenulum I get everyday; I love the fact that I don't have to sit in a cubicle, five days a week adding numbers, I love being creative, and what I love most, is at the end of the day, your clients really need you and appreciate everything you do for them, and you appreciate them for believing you. And,as a person, I feel that my job brings out the best of me everyday. It gives me confidence and even on the worst days, there are things that can perk you up, i.e.: great placement or just simple thank you from your colleague or client.