PR is what you make it: incorporating your everyday passions into your everyday job

By Jess Carnprobst

We all talk about corporate PR versus working at a PR agency, but we don’t often think beyond that. I thought I had my life figured out because I knew I wanted to work at a PR agency, but then I went exploring. After going to the PRSSA National Conference in October, I realized how many options PR professionals have. When we broke into different sessions, there were so many options like food PR, healthcare, entertainment, crisis management, nonprofit, integrated marketing; the list goes on and on. The wide range of opportunity blew my mind. If you have an interest in something, I can guarantee that you will be able to work it into your job as well as your personal brand, no matter how strange it may seem.

As a lot of you probably know by now, I’m obsessed with cheese. I have my own cheese week, I walk around telling cheese jokes, I eat cheese at least once a day; yeah, I go the whole nine yards. I had never thought about doing PR for a cheese company until I sat in on a session on food PR at PRSSANC. My whole word exploded with new thoughts and ideas. I started to realize that anything really is possible and I will never again underestimate an idea or passion. If you are passionate about something, it is important and therefore relevant. I could potentially do PR for a cheese company one day, and although that may seem strange to most people, that excites me more than anything in the world.

My point is, no matter what your interest is, you can incorporate it into PR. And the best part is, if you want to dabble in a bit of everything, there is always the agency path. No matter what your interests may be, you will be able to find a way to express that in your job. Everyone needs the help of a PR professional; so don’t be discouraged, even if your passion seems unconventional or strange. Where there is a will, there’s a way.

Stay true to yourself and find your passions. Once you have found what you have a true passion for, do some research. Look into different companies that incorporate your passion into their work. If you like what you see, shoot them an email or a request to connect on LinkedIn. Most importantly, when you connect, be sure to let your passion shine through. If there is one thing I have learned the most within my last year and a half in college, it is that passion and drive will get you further than anything else. Employers want someone who will truly love what they do and enjoy waking up to it every morning. Incorporate what makes your heart race into your daily job, and you will never work a day in your life.