According to Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
Public Relations is a career path for those who have excellent communication skills and who wish to pursue a career that offers a prospect to interact with lots of interesting people. This is a profession where you need to identify with the listener’s psyche and mould it in your favour.
A public relations course is planned to equip you with skills like public speaking and understanding the listener’s psychology to make possible useful exchange of information. Nonetheless, it borders on understanding human beings and their communication needs to a large extent. The syllabus is designed in such a way that it helps in enhancing communication skills amongst the technicalities.
Start Early
If you are thinking to pursue a course in public relations, it would be advisable to select colleges that offer various courses in Mass Communication and assist in the coordination with popular media professionals as well. After completing school, one may apply for a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and then apply for a master’s degree in public relations. Apart from this, after graduation in any subject, one can pursue further post graduation in public relations as well.
Some institutes offer diploma courses in public relations, which you may consider applying for, as well.
Some of the best institutes for studying PR include Xavier Institute of Mass Communication, Mumbai; Symbiosis School, Pune; and Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.
Career Prospects
To confirm a career in public relations is the right one for you, understand how good you are at communicating with people. Having a passion for media related tasks and events is must. If you are an avid reader and follow everyday news closely, then PR be the right choice for you.
However, a course in PR would help you anyway in public speaking. Salary for PR professionals is as good as Sales and Marketing professionals or IT professionals.
What would it Cost Me?
A good PR course would cost you between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 40,000 per year depending on the college you choose. For example, if you get selected with St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai, which is affiliated with the University of Mumbai, would cost around Rs. 12,000 per year. Private colleges charge hefty fee, though.
Job Prospect
The job prospects for public relations professionals in India are very bright, if the applicant has excellent communication skills and convincing abilities, sky is the limit. The pay package for a beginner in PR can vary from Rs 15,000 and above depending on the skill set and education.
Pay Packet
If you are joining an advertising or marketing company as a communications professional, you may earn about 2.5 lacs and above as a fresher. One can also try venturing into sales or business development positions as well; all you need is outstanding communication and selling skills. The opportunities are simply limitless.
Market Watch
The growth for PR professionals can be stated as extra special. In other industries such as Hotel management, Shipping and logistics, the demand for PR professionals is quite high. They are offered jobs of lobby managers, sales managers and receptionists with welcome arms. There is always scope for working with PSUs and government organizations such as PROs. Thus, the market for PR professionals is desirable at this point in time.
(Rahul Dhall is a PR Consultant based in New Delhi)