- Many companies are beginning to mange their own public affairs by utilizing the skills of already existing employees rather than hiring a PR firm. In doing this, a company can save $10k+ a month, so in some instances, it does make sense. There has been a decline in the necessity of public relations professionals in the workplace in the last few years, because the job responsibilities of a PR specialist align closely with that of a marketer or advertiser. https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilstclair/2015/03/05/why-you-should-almost-never-pay-for-pr/#64e8e8fe1c35
Do I really need a degree in public relations to work in the field?
- With how closely public relations is related to marketing, advertising, communications, etc. is it really even necessary to get a degree in public relations to work in the field? Or could a degree in one of these neighboring fields be enough to get your foot in the door? Not to mention, the future of public relations is in social media, so who is to say that someone who is extremely business smart and savvy with social media couldn't do just as good of a job as a college graduate with a public relations degree? https://www.thebalancecareers.com/media-industry-jobs-you-can-get-without-a-degree-4023960
Greater varieties of communication platforms
- The increase in communication platforms can be seen as a way to get more information out to the public and reach more specific audiences, but when it comes to PR, it can be extremely difficult to determine which platform to use. As the platforms increase in number, so does the research and time into making sure it is the correct medium for the correct audience.
Of these controversies in public relations, the one that has me feeling the most passionate, is the first one regarding the necessity of specialists in general. I will be graduating with a public relations degree next spring, so understanding the likelihood of me getting placed in the workplace is foremost on my mind.
While I don't know much about PR, as an English major with a Creative Writing emphasis and Italian minor, I understand post-graduate ambiguity. But for every article that states that PR is useless, there are several that are champions for it. Your source talks a lot about the inefficiencies of modern PR firms and perhaps those are true. But I don't think that makes PR obsolete. I think that gives people like you
ReplyDeletechance to implement change. I found an article about the importance of PR by the "leading PR person in the entire world" (paraphrasing), Richard Edelman. Maybe you have already read it, but I thought it was an interesting opposing viewpoint. http://apps.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/9262/1032/Richard_Edelman_Public_relations_must_evolve_or_ge#.XAYbRWhKhPY
I think that the the question of needing a degree is super interesting. For the majors with "soft skills" where maybe you are more focused on creativity, I think that you might be able to learn or grow better out of school. I think the motivation to stay is hard for me sometimes when I see others doing well without degrees
ReplyDelete