Should PR pros go to grad school? – Info PR

This article originally ran on PR Daily in July of 2017.

PR pros often wonder whether grad school would be worth the time, money and
effort.

If you’re on the fence about pursuing an advanced degree, here are a few
suggestions:

1. Consider your long-term career goals.

If a master’s degree will help you attain a particular career objective,
evaluate the different options (e.g., MBA, MS) and decide which is the best
route.

Apply your long-term vision to everything you choose to do—from the classes
you take to the topic of your thesis paper.

If you intend to stay in PR for your whole career, you don’t need an
advanced degree. PR is more practice than theory, so you learn mainly from
experience.

[RELATED: Distracted audiences? Mind-numbing topics? Cut through the clutter with creative corporate writing.]

If you want to switch careers, grad school can be a way to demonstrate your
seriousness in pursuing something else.

2. Be careful about which program you select.

Consider the business rationale behind PR. It’s not just media hits and
social media posts; it’s the business impact they make. Higher education
helps you to think differently about the issues and tasks we encounter.

When it comes to building skills and competencies, a grad school PR program
will push you to advance what we do day to day.

Crisis communications was a big focus in my own grad program: We studied
previous cases and best practices for every stakeholder. Critical, logical
and linear thinking under pressure are essential.

3. Take advantage of networking opportunities.

Grad school is also a great networking opportunity. More than in undergrad
studies, people go to class; students want to continue learning. You’ll
meet and work with other professionals in similar industries or lines of
work.

4. Don’t discount the time commitment.

Grad school is a huge time commitment, especially if you want to attend on
campus—rather than online—and make the most of your tuition.

Luckily, there are programs with part-time options and night and weekend
classes. It will become another thing to balance, in addition to work and
life.

5. Evaluate whether grad school will benefit your personal bottom line.

Will you get a paycheck bump? It depends on which company you end up
working for, but to be candid, PR doesn’t put a premium on higher
education.

Reach out to program alumni. Whether through LinkedIn or mutual friends,
you can ask alumni what they thought about a certain program. Not all are
designed the same, and you could learn which programs or schools are better
than others.

What do you think? Is grad school a smart move for PR pros?

Julia Sahin works in corporate communications at a top New York PR firm.

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