EDUc 1300 | T&Th 1:00-2:30

In 2011 PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) defined Public Relations as a career
that encompasses strategic communication processes that build mutually beneficial
relationships between organizations and their publics. Public Relations Specialist (PR specialist)
are essentially people who connect associations and institutions to consumers. These people are
the ones that help business offer what you want.
Public Relations Specialist work on the sidelines of every major industry in the world,
producing goods and services that benefit societies. Many PR specialist both create and promote
goods by creating presentations and preparing speeches. They also have a part in publicity
material in which they create or select, and release it through the media. The primary job of a PR
is to create and maintain an image of an employer. This career must not be confused with a PR
manager, whom is basically the head of a PR firm and tends to be more active in the
advertisement sector.
To be a PR specialist, you must study in a field of Communication. Most PRs graduate
with a Bachelors Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or Marketing,
however anything in this range is acceptable. It is also acceptable to receive a graduates degree,
but it is not mandatory. With this type of education comes money, and PR specialist received an
annual salary of $73,900 in 2011. PRs get many benefits including but not limited to, Healthcare,
Social Security, Pension, time off, and 401K/403B which all sum up to around 40% of their total
compensation.
A big part of career choice is personality match, and like any other career, Public
Relations Specialist do tend to have specific personalities. A lot of people in the PR industry are
an ENTP personality type. ENTPs are creative, curious, logical, and flexible. They are visionary
leaders and excel at persuasion, and public speaking. Other characteristics needed include high

relational skills, good writing skills, organizational skills, and a positive attitude along with many
others.
The work setting of a Public Relations Specialist is very traditional, meaning that they
usually work in offices. Unlike usual professions, some PR specialist get travel opportunities
depending on who they are working for, and also attend meetings and community activities. The
work schedule, for most of the part, is the regular 9 to 5, however many PR specialist have
overtime.
Employment for this occupation is planned to grow 12% by 2022, which is around
average. Public Relation Specialist are and will always be updated on their social media, because
of their having to keep up with societal changes. They must keep up with social media to
maintain their reputation. The competition in this field is soon to increase because of the
increased employment. Competition will be most visible in advertising firms, large companies in
media, and prestigious public relation firms.
The media and communication industry is full of amazing workers, and I believe that I fit
in perfectly with these people. Being a Public Relations Specialist would allow me to use most of
my talents into a career that I would love to be a part of.

Bibliography
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