I have said more than once that if the day comes when I think I've got it all figured out, and there's nothing I need to learn -- that's the day I need to leave the business. From my perspective, the best place for a person to be is just outside their comfort zone. It's right next door to a place called "always curious."
One recent step I took was to get my Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) via the Public Relations Society of America. There's been a lot of noise and hand-wringing online in past weeks and months regarding how important (or not) and how useful (or not) the APR is.
For me it has been ideal. Like some, my route to a PR career was a very roundabout one. Needless to say, I entered the field and stayed there because I have the skills. As solid as they are, they were based primarily on a Mass Communication and commercial television background. Acquiring my APR provided me with the solid foundation and grounding in the importance of solid research in public relations, and also the 'RPIE' cycle - research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It takes more work, but it beats the "fly by the seat of your pants" mindset still so prevalent among many PR professionals.
Acquiring more degrees may or may not suit your career goals, but it is something I hope to pursue -- and the APR was an ideal first step. With the knowledge, skills and abilities that were clarified by my accreditation, I find myself in a much stronger position to determine which Masters program course curriculum is ideally suited to my PR career.
Further academic pursuits may not be among your goals, but curiosity and a willingness to roll the dice should be. Social media is a perfect example. From instant messaging to iPhone applications, from texting to Twitter and everything in between, we've only just begun to explore the possibilities. A lot of people are talking about social media, even going so far as to call themselves experts.
Knowledgeable? Sure. Skilled? I'll take your word for it. Expert? Not yet, friend. We're all experiencing this technological sea change together, and we're all trying to figure it out.
My advice? Dive in. There was a first time for everything when it comes to public relations and communications - print products, radio, tv, film, telephones, events, Internet, instant messaging, blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and God only know what comes next.
Teaching and mentoring, ironically, may be where you can learn the most. While you aid and assist, you are also getting a fresh perspective. And maybe you are hearing questions you never imagined asking. As a Biblical proverb goes, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
Do you want to stay relevant in public relations? Stay sharp.
photo courtesy Joe Shlabotnik, per Creative Commons License
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