A beginning not an end.

I have come to the conclusion of my internship experience as well as the conclusion of my last Public Relations unit (I still have Business Capstone ahead of me so this won't be the last time Curtin University assesses me on my commerce skills) and I have felt it necessary and appropriate that my last blog entry be a reflection of my thoughts and feelings.

To be honest, I was initially disheartened by the harsh reality of a career in public relations. Though I was not expecting it to be the most glamorous job in the world, some part of me thought I would be applying the techniques that I learnt more. For the most part the tasks I had to to do within my internship were things that could've easily been learnt 'on-the-job' provided you had at least an average IQ and a slight ability to write but I had been assured by my supervisor and mentors in the company that this was typical within the first few years of graduate work and eventually it would get more challenging and I would be writing larger-scale documents of more importance.

That being said, on the job I have learned invaluable skills being thrown into the deep-end such as InDesign which I feel is an excellent desktop publishing program that Curtin should consider incorporating into their curriculum- it's fast becoming an industry standard! I have never edited more proof work in my life it seems, I have cold-called clients, corresponded with various stakeholders via e-mail for serious issues, been in business meetings, planned successful events and learned the in and outs of social media among other things. Overall it has been an unforgettable experience.

I definitely can say after all this, my heart is still in public relations and I look forward to a career in the field. My internship has taught me the reality of the field which can be at times rewarding and cruel and when I weigh the pros and cons, the pros are far more numerous. Though my internship is coming to a close and so is this unit, I feel it is not an ending but rather a beginning for myself as an imminent true professional.