Deciding what to do after graduation can be confusing. Do you try to get a job in public relations? Do you stay in school and go for an MA, or perhaps an MBA, or maybe even a JD? This webinar explored topics such as the advantages of taking the job; the advantages of graduate school; weighing the pros and cons of an MA, MBA, and JD; and things to keep in mind if you are thinking about graduate school. Moderated by Keith Burton, President of Insidedge/GolinHarris and a Plank Center Board member, the session included presentations by Brandi Boatner, a Past President of PRSSA; Doug Serton, an associate with Heyman Associates; and Dr. Karla Gower, associate professor of public relations at The University of Alabama and director of the Plank Center.

1. Deciding
Between
a
PR
Job
and
an
Advanced
Degree
April
15,
2009

2. Today’s
Presenters
Doug
Serton
Senior
Associate
Heyman
Associates,
Inc.
Brandi
Boatner
NaFonal
President
Public
RelaFons
Student
Society
of
America
Karla
K.
Gower,
Ph.D.
Director,
Plank
Center
for
Leadership
in
Public
RelaFons
Behringer
DisFnguished
Professor
Dept.
of
AdverFsing
&
Public
RelaFons
The
University
of
Alabama

3. PresentaFon
Outline
§ Job
vs.
Advanced
Degree:
The
Debate
§ What
is
the
Right
Decision?
§ From
a
Recruiter’s
perspecFve:
Taking
a
PR
Job
§ From
a
recent
MA
graduate’s
perspecFve:
Pursuing
the
Degree
§ Things
to
Consider
Regarding
an
Advanced
Degree
§ SelecFng
the
Degree
§ Final
Thoughts
§ QuesFons?

4. Jobs
vs.
Advanced
Degree:
The
Debate
“PR
and
adver*sing
specialists
are
among
the
top
20
best
growth
jobs
in
the
next
decade,
growing
at
a
rate
of
more
than
20%.”
“The
#1
job
opportunity
in
corporate
America
in
the
next
decade
is
social
media
specialist
or
social
media
consultant.”
-­‐
Author
Thomas
Rozof
“More
than
90%
of
UA’s
MA
graduates
obtain
posiJons
in
the
profession
in
six
months;
fewer
than
half
of
the
BA
graduates
do.”
“The
average
worker
with
a
Masters
degree
will
make
$10,000
or
more
per
year
than
those
with
a
Bachelors
degree.”

5. What
is
the
Right
Decision?
Ø No
perfect
answer;
no
single
answer
Ø The
answer
varies
from
individual
to
individual,
depending
on
a
number
of
factors,
such
as:
§ Personal
financial
situaFon
§ Current
economic
climate
and
job
market
§ Passion
for
further
educaFon
§ Goals
and
aspiraFons
for
the
future

6. While
there
is
no
“correct”
answer,
this
presentaFon
is
designed
to
give
you
a
beZer
understanding
of
your
opFons

7. From
a
Recruiter’s
PerspecFve…
“As
both
a
recruiter
and
a
young
professional
in
the
PR
industry,
while
I
would
suggest
keeping
all
of
your
op;ons
open,
I
believe
breaking
into
the
work
force
should
be
your
first
priority.”
Ø Cost
Ø Experience:
Classroom
seng
is
very
different
from
the
workplace
Ø ApplicaJon:
Classroom
experiences
are
enhanced
by
work
experience
Ø Career
focus:
Entry-­‐level
jobs
can
provide
direcFon

8. Taking
a
PR
Job
Ø
There
are
several
benefits
to
taking
a
PR
job,
including:
§ Earning
income
to
pay
off
college
debt
§ Developing
skills
on
the
job
§ Building
a
professional
network
§ Determining
if
the
profession
is
a
good
match
earlier
in
career
§ Possibility
of
employer
helping
you
pay
for
a
graduate
degree
in
the
future

9. From
a
recent
MA
graduate’s
perspecFve
Ø
There
are
several
benefits
to
an
advanced
degree,
including:
§ Gaining
in-­‐depth
knowledge
of
the
profession
§ Strengthening
criFcal-­‐thinking
and
management
skills
§ Developing
applied
research
skills
§ Gaining
a
more
thorough
understanding
of
communicaFon
theories
and
their
implicaFons
for
pracFce
§ BoosFng
subsequent
job
opportuniFes
(and
possibly
salary)
§ An
advanced
degree
makes
you
eligible
to
teach
at
virtually
any
community
college
in
the
country
(and
some
universiFes)

10. Keep
in
Mind…
Ø An
advanced
degree
should
not
be
a
detour
or
“way
out”
of
eventually
aZaining
a
job
§ Important
to
seek
real
world
experience
to
foster
academic
knowledge

11. Things
to
Consider
Regarding
an
Advanced
Degree
Ø
Cost
Ø
The
Program
Ø
The
ReputaFon
of
InsFtuFon
Ø
Deadline
and
other
Requirements

12. SelecFng
the
Degree
Ø The
MA
in
PR
or
a
communicaFon-­‐related
area
§ 1-­‐2
year
program
§ Moderately
priced
§ Increases
your
specializaFon
in
the
field
§ Enhances
criFcal
thinking,
management
understanding
and
applied
research
capability
Ø The
MBA
§ 18-­‐24
month
program
§ Admission
is
quite
compeFFve
§ TuiFon
can
be
expensive
§ Provides
business
and
financial
knowledge
and
language
§ Enhances
criFcal-­‐thinking
and
analyFcal
skills,
and
increases
understanding
of
environmental
and
globalizaFon
factors
affecFng
organizaFons
Ø The
JD
§ 3
years
of
full-­‐Fme
study
§ Admission
is
compeFFve
§ TuiFon
is
expensive
§ Strengthens
analyFcal
and
problem-­‐solving
skills
§ Increases
understanding
of
prevailing
laws
and
regulaFons
governing
communicaFons
and
organizaFons

13. Final
Thoughts
“When
students
ask
me
the
ques;on
about
a
job
versus
a
graduate
degree,
I
always
tell
them
the
same
thing:
Create
as
many
opportuni;es
for
yourself
as
you
can.
This
means
apply
for
jobs,
apply
to
graduate
schools
of
choice,
and
inves;gate
na;onal
and
interna;onal
service
programs
like
Teach
for
America,
AmeriCorps,
and
the
Peace
Corps.
Then,
based
on
the
real
choices
available,
decide
which
opportunity
seems
best
for
them.
None
of
the
choices
are
bad
choices.”
“If
you
get
offered
a
job,
great!
Take
it.
You
can
always
go
to
graduate
school
later
if
you
really
want
to.
If
you
don’t
get
a
job,
go
to
graduate
school
and
increase
your
odds
of
geJng
one
down
the
road.”
“Graduate
school
isn’t
for
everyone.
I
always
tell
students
to
keep
their
op;ons
open.
Apply
for
jobs
and
apply
for
graduate
school.”

14. QuesFons?