What and Why

A lot of people go to college anymore, just because their high school teachers convinced them it was the next step to being successful, however, many people don’t even know what their major is or why they wanted to do that job by the time they graduate. I choose this major because it was close to the track I wanted to be on. My goal when I switched to this major was just communications. However, when I was in the middle of switching an advisor asked me what my end goal was and he suggested instead of just majoring in communications to dig deeper and go more into a concentration. He suggested Public Relations and my emphasis area because it was close to video and also had social media and graphic design. I learned as I went a long it was everything I had ever wanted and was interested in. This degree covered politics, crisis management and video along with everything else.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020), “Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent.” The Dictionary (Public Relations) defines public relations in two different ways, “(used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.; (used with a singular verb) the art, technique, or profession of promoting such goodwill.”

In school, however, we are taught there is no one definition for what public relations is. It is anything dealing with the public—good or bad. It includes fundraising for an organization, crisis management, social media management and so many other things. We are taught we wear many hats. We can be advertisement, marketing, human resources, communications, etc.

Digital media is media that are made on a computer in readable formats for machines (Digital media 2020). My major is Digital and Electronic Multimedia, so it’s slightly different from Digital Media, where I make multimedia—such as videos—instead of the actual physical media. However, Digital media (Electronic Media, 2020) IS a form of electronic media.

There are lots of things that can be done with the degree. Best Marketing Degrees.org (2018) says five jobs that you can have with the degree are Public Relations Specialist, Public Relations Manager, Social Media Specialist, Communication Planner and Marketing Coordinator. Marquette University gives a whole list of careers for public relation majors including: Copywriter, Investor Relations, Account executive, Government Affairs and many more. A master’s degree in public relations opens even more doors. According to Best Colleges, a master’s degree gets you the ability to be in leadership roles and these people have titles like director and vice president.

With a concentration in Digital and Electronic Multimedia, I have more of a specialty in social media. That is not to say, however, I cannot do any other job. I enjoy planning and marketing and crisis management. In fact, a goal of mine is to get a masters in Media and Strategic Communication so I can focus on marketing, event planning and crisis communication.

Public Relations Careers: BestColleges. (2020, September 08). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.bestcolleges.com/careers/business/public-relations/

Public relations. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/public-relations?s=t

Public Relations Specialists : Occupational Outlook Handbook. (2020, September 1). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/public-relations-specialists.htm.

What Can I Do with a Public Relations Degree? (2018, June 18). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.bestmarketingdegrees.org/can-public-relations-degree/

What Can You Do With a Major in Public Relations? (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.marquette.edu/explore/what-can-you-do-with-a-major-in-public-relations.php

Wikimedia Foundation. (2020, November 10). Digital media. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_media.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2020, November 9). Electronic media. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_media.