How College Prepared Me for a Career in Public Relations

By: Alex Leix, Media and Communications Specialist 

If college taught me anything, it’s that your career path is never going to be a straight one and to position yourself early to succeed. As a spring 2021 graduate from Indiana University, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my journey and how it prepared me for my job as a Media and Communications Specialist at Bohlsen Group.     

Start making connections as a freshman.

At the beginning of my freshman year, before I started taking any core classes, I went to the student involvement fair on campus and joined the IU chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) to make connections and give me some insight into what public relations entailed because I didn’t really know much about it. Not only did PRSSA give me relevant PR experience through agency tours and committees, but it allowed me to meet new people who were also on the same track. These individuals ended up with me in multiple classes throughout the years which gave me confidence and a strong support system to lean on and learn from. No one gets you quite like your fellow PR majors! 

Diversify your education.

My mom helped me realize I needed to set myself apart on paper when it came to my studies, so she encouraged me to do a Marketing minor through IU’s Kelley School of Business. I was so intimidated at first because the classes were the most difficult of my college career, but if she hadn't pushed me to do it, I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career. Through each class I began to realize how crucial my decision was as the line between marketing and public relations continues to blur. It absolutely helped me land a marketing job on campus with the student newspaper and a Marketing and Communications internship with Bohlsen Group. I think anyone pursuing a career in PR should take marketing or business classes wherever they can.  

Take time to research on your own. 

Advisors are there to guide you, but at the end of the day, researching your major and career options post-college falls on you. Some majors had everything practically mapped out for them, but that wasn’t the case for Media School folks like me. Ultimately, curiosity and my inner-planner drove me to research on my own in order to fill in the gaps left by advisors. I couldn’t stand to be confused or unsure. I didn’t rely on them to tell me what areas of PR I was interested in, what internships were available, average salaries or best places to live because I had to control my own fate. You know yourself and what you want better than anyone. 

Write, write, write!

I cannot stress enough the importance of being a strong writer, especially in a PR career. When I say ‘strong,’ I mean accurate, consistent and versatile. I learned to embrace all of the college essays, even if they weren’t for my PR classes, because I wrote about different topics in different formats, which is exactly what I do now every day in my job. To get feedback, I took advantage of professor office hours to go over these writing assignments because it wasn’t possible to become a better writer if I didn’t ask questions.

Know how to juggle.

Juggling your busy schedule, that is. College taught me how to handle being busy, prioritizing different tasks and responsibilities while finding time to relax and be with friends. Before I started my job, I knew part of the description was being able to juggle multiple tasks and projects at the same time, but I learned it is way more fast-paced once you really get into it, especially in the world of media relations!

Look for internships early. 

Thinking about how to land an internship can be daunting, but I learned to start early, even if it’s unpaid! After my sophomore year of college, I worked as an unpaid intern for my neighbor who did PR for local clients. This was my first real PR experience handling social media accounts and writing press releases. I knew that no matter what, I needed to have relevant experience on my resume to put me in a position to pursue a paid internship the next summer. It was one of the best opportunities because I wasn’t qualified yet for the more traditional paid internships that required candidates to be at least a junior in college. During this time, I also discovered I loved the agency side of PR and the idea of having different clients.