Thursday, April 25, 2013

Public relations is all about...

How many times have you found yourself searching for career advice? A Google search for career advice in public relations returns 45 million results. Everyone can share career advice. There are even entire blogs dedicated to giving career advice. Career advice is everywhere, but all of this advice does not connect with everyone. Most of it goes in one ear and out the other.

The best advice connects with you on a personal level.

The job market has most young professionals scared. We are searching for stability, security and a livelihood. This fear stifles our desire to take chances. I have never been one to take chances. At this point in my career, I am craving stability. I never thought about taking a risk at this point in my career, until I spoke with my mentor.

He told me that I am in the perfect position to take a career risk. I have no family to support or mortgage to pay. I will be graduating with a small amount of student loans thanks to my blogging. I live in the third major market of the United States. The opportunities are endless; I should not settle at this point in my career. I took his advice for what it was worth. It did not immediately connect with me. Then, I read about Dan's experience of getting fired and starting his own firm.

He took a risk, and it paid off for him. I connected with Daniel Edelman's experience of being fired while launching Daniel J. Edelman and Associates. The messages was clear: do not be afraid to take a risk. The message struck home with me after hearing my mentor's advice earlier in the month.

Dan led by example. Advice is only helpful if you act on it. Listening to people offer you advice will do nothing to further your career. I plan to act on Dan's advice. I plan to take risks for myself, my clients and my firm. You cannot break through the clutter without taking risks. Public relations is all about breaking through the clutter. Public relations is all about taking risks.

Adrian Villalpando is a senior at DePaul University studying public relations, advertising and communication studies. He is working at Groupon as a social media intern and blogs for scholarships on Collegenet.com. He is interested in working for a large public relations agency focusing on consumer-facing clients. You can reach him at avillalpando773@gmail.com or follow him @avillalpando773. 

2 comments:

  1. Love your take on Dan's advice. I would argue that success in anything is about taking smart risks.Good luck in the class, and beyond!

    Rick Murray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rick!

      I'm glad to see you're a fan of our blog.

      Adrian

      Delete