Friday, January 22, 2016

Public Relations: Out of the Norm.


Public Relations was not my first choice of major and the University of North Texas was most definitely not my first choice college. Growing up in a small town in New Mexico that thrives off of the oil and gas industry you tend to not branch out. Instead, you do what your parents did, who did what their parents did.

My plan when I graduated high school four and half years ago was to attend a small university close to home and earn my teaching degree and then eventually marry someone who worked in the oil field and live in Lea County until forever. Exciting right? Well, that was the norm where I grew up.

However, my life plan changed when I started college in the Fall of 2011. I hated my classes, I wasn't excited about my future, and I began craving something different. At the time I wasn't sure what 'something different' was, I just knew that I wanted it.

One of the advantages of the small university I was attending was a professor who insisted on going by Charlie. We sparked a conversation in the computer lab one day and I was introduced to the world of public relations. He taught every PR course that was offered and he had spent over 15 years in the business before he began teaching. His concentration was crisis communications. I changed my major the following semester and starting taking Charlie's classes.

As much as I loved Charlie and the way he taught, I knew that I needed to transfer to a university that would present me with a number of different opportunities that would allow me to grow and provide me with a skill set that would set  me apart in the job market. I started researching and I came across the Mayborn School. One visit to UNT and I was sold.

Public Relations has satisfied the 'something different' that I was craving. I love the having the opportunity to meet new people and build unexpected relationships. I love the many different routes that you can go with PR, and the adrenaline rush it can give.

Don't get me wrong, I miss my desert sunsets and seeing pump jacks everywhere but PR is so much better than the norm I nearly fell into.