Work experience placement Georgia Gibson-Ford on escaping classroom PR theory and breaking into the real world.
About 20 different PR companies were emailed and only one responded….Working Word. “If you want a career in PR, work experience is essential”; I’ve been told this numerous times by people ‘in-the-know’ but it is much easier said than done!
Time to burst out of the bubble for Georgia
When I first started my degree in Journalism, Film and Media at Cardiff University, I expected to become a serious, hard-hitting news journalist overnight.
After almost three years of studying and a week’s work experience at a local newspaper, I can finally say this is not the route for me; I wanted a career with flexibility, creativity with words and ideas and, most importantly, to actually talk to people!
The more I’ve learnt about PR, it seems clear that creativity and communication with people lies directly at the heart of it, but what about in the real world?
Most university tutors (and the CIPR website) mark the value of work experience in the industry as priceless; it’s one thing sitting in a classroom reading about how PR works but it could be a completely different kettle of fish outside my journalism ‘bubble’.
After many, many emails enquiring about opportunities with next to no leads, I was ready to throw in my PR towel (until graduation loomed) but then I was given a chance by Working Word!
I’m so excited about being able to break free from my stuffy lectures and explore the real world of PR and really hope that I can gain as much out of this week as possible as unfortunately, they are very hard to come by.
Georgia's new t-shirt (maybe)
Although I’ve just arrived, the colleagues here have already made me feel that this is the best place to come for an engaging and motivating first step into the PR world and I’m confident it will confirm there is a place for me outside my university ‘bubble’.