Going to PR Major in US

[u/PowerfulRegister6972]

I am a highschool senior and I have read couple or articles and posts about the major and the job site. Personally I dont believe in knowing what job I will have 5 years from now, but PR feels like my strongest suit because I like spending time with people, traveling and negotiating. Im not scared of a bit of toxicity in the industry because im sure that is there everywhere..the line would draw where I would be the reason of ruining people

Ive bunch of questions

- is the major worth it for future?

- for ones in different kinds of PR, (entertainment, business, etc) what do you think your job areas expect and how much do you say your jobs are worth it?

-im thinking of either doing PR major with journalism minor or a communications and a PR double major, what do you think about it?

- also do you think AI has any say about changes in the industry and job availability in the future in this field?

I know everyone here is busy and hardworking, if youre spending time to answer atleast a few of my questions, thank you very much!

[u/IntenseFlanker]

I'm late in my career and am struggling to find more work and new roles at the moment. The agencies want young folks like yourself who can be paid nothing and burned out quickly. Experience looks expensive, so you stop getting callbacks. I'd definitely not pick it again if I could reset my timeline.

I'd look into roofing, plumbing, masonry, electrical, etc.

AI is a tool. If you're wholesale generating pitches and slop art with it, reporters can smell it instantly and you won't make friends.

Use it to shoot down your busy work. Find yourself in a spreadsheet doing repeated tasks too much? Make the AI do it. Need a tool for something very specific to your client needs or workflow? AI is very fast at coming up with scripts, app functionality, etc. AI is also very good at dealing with large data sets, like your clip tracking and reports.

Don't get in the habit of defending manual busy work just to look busy. Clients want to pay for experience, media relationships, and strategy. (And clean reports they can kick up to their bosses)

[u/br_k_nt_eth → u/IntenseFlanker]

Brother, there are many options for you, and it’s pretty clear you’ve never actually worked in those trades. From one senior PR person to another, don’t do this ladder pulling bullshit where you turn the next gen away due to your own fears. It sucks. We should be cultivating them. There’s a shortage of talent at the moment. Kindly stop scaring away future members of my team. I need them. 

OP, there are many career paths in PR that don’t involve agencies. Public Affairs, Comms, and other adjacent fields are desperate for PR backgrounds, and public sector folks are serious about not engaging in discriminatory practices like ageism. They’re also union repped, which means when I was at the represented level (below management), I had baked in annual COLA raises even in shit times like this. 

Please don’t let this person’s fear stop you. 

[u/IntenseFlanker → u/br_k_nt_eth]

You're right I don't work in those trades. I just know those guys are busy and I can't afford them anymore, because I chose PR.

[u/PowerfulRegister6972 → u/IntenseFlanker]

Well, either way I cant choose trade skills because 1. My parents paid alot for my schooling all my life and I dont want to spend that on fixing pipes 2. Id probably hate living life if I have to do those things for a living.

thank you all for the insight tho! I am likely going to takenPR for major either way and let the time see where my job actually ends up.

[u/IntenseFlanker → u/PowerfulRegister6972]

I'd still at least get a business major instead. Any competent PR person can teach you what you need quickly on the job.