Comments on: Why I’m leaving PR http://www.behindthespin.com/careers/why-im-leaving-pr Behind the Spin is an online magazine for public relations students and young practitioners. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:08:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Heather Yaxley http://www.behindthespin.com/careers/why-im-leaving-pr/comment-page-1#comment-318 Heather Yaxley Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:52:30 +0000 http://www.behindthespin.com/?p=661#comment-318 Laura - this is a really interesting insight into your experiences and it is very brave of you to share them. It is a difficult balance with degrees such as PR where you have to cover the vocational and academic elements - skills and knowledge. Also, with a topic such as PR where there are many different underpinnings, there will be elements that suit you and those that do not. Even as a PR tutor, there are some aspects that I am not as interested in as others. Although I always say that having a real curiosity about different things is essential in PR, and I can normally find something fascinating in anything. I am also not the biggest fan of group based assignments at University and like you, I feel it is very different to the type of team work you experience in the "real world". Unfortunately time and cost constraints often prevent academic study being able to use different methods of assessment - which is a real shame. I hope your change of direction works out for you - but I think it is a pity that you have judged PR as not for you on the basis of your experience so far. The world of PR is wide enough for all sorts of interests and skills. You may well have found public affairs more to your liking. Also, perhaps this is an opportunity to remind students to shop around when looking to study a PR (or other) degree as different institutions often have a different focus and approach. Some are more practical than others; some have strong academic underpinnings at the start, whilst others build to these later in your studies. Some have certain specialisms or particular academic perspectives. Good luck anyway Laura – this is a really interesting insight into your experiences and it is very brave of you to share them. It is a difficult balance with degrees such as PR where you have to cover the vocational and academic elements – skills and knowledge.

Also, with a topic such as PR where there are many different underpinnings, there will be elements that suit you and those that do not. Even as a PR tutor, there are some aspects that I am not as interested in as others. Although I always say that having a real curiosity about different things is essential in PR, and I can normally find something fascinating in anything.

I am also not the biggest fan of group based assignments at University and like you, I feel it is very different to the type of team work you experience in the “real world”. Unfortunately time and cost constraints often prevent academic study being able to use different methods of assessment – which is a real shame.

I hope your change of direction works out for you – but I think it is a pity that you have judged PR as not for you on the basis of your experience so far. The world of PR is wide enough for all sorts of interests and skills. You may well have found public affairs more to your liking.

Also, perhaps this is an opportunity to remind students to shop around when looking to study a PR (or other) degree as different institutions often have a different focus and approach. Some are more practical than others; some have strong academic underpinnings at the start, whilst others build to these later in your studies. Some have certain specialisms or particular academic perspectives.

Good luck anyway

]]> By: Caroline http://www.behindthespin.com/careers/why-im-leaving-pr/comment-page-1#comment-314 Caroline Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:22 +0000 http://www.behindthespin.com/?p=661#comment-314 I finished the PR degree at Leeds Met this year, and will hopefully be graduating this summer. I do agree with a lot of your points, but at the same time disagree with a lot. Yes there is too much group work on the course, and when this is brought up with tutors they respond with "its preparing you for work" Well yes in some ways it is, but also in a workplace there is a hierarchy and people have to show up or they get the sack, unlike uni. But to say that the modules in the second year are not relevant to PR, how do you know when I am guessing you havent actually worked in PR? I am now working in a public sector (yes that's right I got a PR job before I even graduated because of the strength of the degree and the amount of hard work I put into it), and although I didnt find some of them useful at uni, they are now. My opinion is you get out what you put in, I worked damn hard and have therefore had the opportunity to work at some amazing agencies. However if the course isnt right for you, maybe try actually working in PR before you give up on it completey, as this is what really drove me to work hard on the course. I finished the PR degree at Leeds Met this year, and will hopefully be graduating this summer. I do agree with a lot of your points, but at the same time disagree with a lot. Yes there is too much group work on the course, and when this is brought up with tutors they respond with “its preparing you for work” Well yes in some ways it is, but also in a workplace there is a hierarchy and people have to show up or they get the sack, unlike uni.
But to say that the modules in the second year are not relevant to PR, how do you know when I am guessing you havent actually worked in PR? I am now working in a public sector (yes that’s right I got a PR job before I even graduated because of the strength of the degree and the amount of hard work I put into it), and although I didnt find some of them useful at uni, they are now.
My opinion is you get out what you put in, I worked damn hard and have therefore had the opportunity to work at some amazing agencies. However if the course isnt right for you, maybe try actually working in PR before you give up on it completey, as this is what really drove me to work hard on the course.

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