I just wrapped up another section of Comms 421 at BYU. The students gave their presentations last week, and as always, I was impressed with their creativity and application of public relations principles for their nonprofit clients. One of the class members was returning student — a middle-aged mother and grandmother who is coming back to school to finish her degree. She said to me, “These kids are so impressive. They should all get A’s.” Of course, it doesn’t work that way. And she was equally impressive. But that prompted another thought.
The large majority of the PR students I’ve taught have gone to great lengths to do great work for their clients in Comms 421. The results are impressive. But does that carry forward into the real world? I wonder sometimes if students get into their first or second jobs and think, “Whew! Made it. Now I can relax and just do what I’m told. I don’t have to worry about a grade at the end of the semester.” I hope not, but my experience with some PR professionals is that they get tainted by the working world and pressures to just keep plowing ahead that they lose the passion students demonstrate as they compete for the best grades.
How do you keep that passion alive? My personal view can be summed up in three words: learn something new. I’ve had a couple of points in my career where I felt somewhat stagnant and tried to apply this adage. That’s when I studied for and took the APR exam through PRSA, changed industries to push myself harder, and started a master’s degree. But you don’t have to take expensive or dramatic steps to continue learning. My wife teases me because I usually have two or three books that I’m reading at the same time. Well, usually I’m reading two and listening to one on CDs in the car. I love to learn new things and add to the information I have.
I’d love to hear your perspective on keeping the drive and energy alive once you leave school. I’d also like to hear your examples of how you continue to learn and grow. Any thoughts?
