As a marketing undergraduate who had completed a three-month-long internship, it seemed like I had earned a ticket to begin my career in marketing. But what I envisaged myself to be working in a consumer goods company to develop marketing strategies turned out otherwise.
With barely any knowledge about public relations, I jumped into the industry and I must say, I have not regretted this decision one bit! Every now and then, I get asked whether I enjoy what I am doing, and my answer always stays the same – yes.
To begin with, public relations is not mundane. There is no typical day at the office – every single day is different but fulfilling. I could write a press release at 10 a.m. and accompany a client to a radio interview the next hour. Things don’t often slow down but when they do, I find myself occupied with emails or last-minute tasks to be done. For someone who thrives on variety, this is definitely the spice of life.
Another facet of my career that keeps me going is the thrill of challenges. Although they frustrate the life out of me, some challenges hold a great opportunity to learn – and this is what I love. I clearly remember the first time I had to write a press release for a shoe brand and I won’t deny the fact that I struggled. I had close-to-zero knowledge of the different shoe styles, so imagine how clueless I was when I stared at the pair of heels which had a strap at the back, not knowing it was actually called sling back heels. Safe to say, after writing a number of press releases, my shoe dictionary has certainly expanded beyond just pumps and stilettos.
Best of it all, this is an incredibly rewarding field to work in. Although things can get intense when a stream of media enquiries flows in all at once, that feeling when you see your client being featured on any media outlet or even get invited for a radio interview makes up for everything. It’s like watching your flowers go full bloom from just a tiny seed.
I’ll be honest! I was attracted to public relations because of its glitz and glamour. And even though it is nothing close to that, there’s nowhere else I can do whatever I love – writing, reading magazines, scrolling through Instagram, and many more – than public relations.