Is a PR education required to be successful in the profession?
Public Relations is consistently ranked among graduates' top three career choices. It doesn't stop there. Increasing numbers of people are switching jobs into PR, in the past few years there has been a rapid growth in the number of journalists taking the plunge. "This is a particularly interesting trend, because traditionally it's been a case of 'never the twain shall meet'," says Jay O' Connor, chair of the education and professional standards committee at the CIPR
This raises a question whether PR education is required to be successful in the profession. I would say YES it is.
1. In developed nations entry into the profession is highly competitive and a degree is a must. Pursuing a vocational qualification shows your dedication towards the profession. The employers may be willing to invest their time and money on you if you possess a qualification.
2. A public relations professional is trained to understand the need to ensure that a story contains messages that support business objectives. Helping to shape the external environment so that a business can thrive is clearly a concern for the PR professional, alongside the accountants and lawyers.
3. PR qualification will give you the basic skills required for progressing in the profession. The Three Employable Skills are: Writing, Critical Thinking & Knowing PR Tools and Technique.
4. PR is about managing the image and reputation of an organisation. PR profession gives you an insight into the profession which can be applied to real life situations. Whereas a non qualified person may take a long time to comprehend the basics of the profession.
5. PR qualification teaches you that working in public relations tends to appear glamorous, but there can be tedium as well. Therefore if you are interested in a PR career, it's important to look beyond the glitz and recognise the demands of the profession.
All academic writers like Grunig, Heath, Malooney, Theaker etc. have emphasised that having a degree helps make PR a profession. Studying PR gives you an opportunity to understand the issues of the profession before jumping into it.
A journalist may switch the profession and think he/she knows how to handle media relations but this is only one aspect of PR. PR goes much beyond media relations.
http://www.pr-consultant.co.uk/public-relations-trade-profession/
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