Will you be a ‘Professional’?

Hi Lee,

This topic has come up in almost all of my PR classes.

According to some of my teachers, PR practitioners would like to think of themselves as “professionals” in a “profession”, but we are not considered this for a couple of reasons. One being that there is no governing body to enforce a code of ethics to its members. There is also no way to punish a practitioner for not following a code of ethics like there is for other fields, such as medicine.

If you consider these two examples necessary for a profession or to be a professional, then it would be hard to call Public Relations a profession. (Even though I hope to be able to call myself a professional at the end of all this.)

Loved the read Lee. Thanks!

I think that the title of a professional is something that every person has a different opinion and feeling about. As Virginia said above, some people feel that professionals are governed by a responsible body. In my own opinion, I feel that professionalism isn’t something I have learned from school or a book. A professional is a character trait that responsible “workers” have in every individual field.

A cashier at McDonald’s might call themself a professional because they’ve been doing it a long time. I’m a server in Auburn, and I have been waiting tables for four years now. I like to think I am a professional at what I do. I’ve been doing it for a long time. But I also acknowledge, that time doesn’t necessarily train someone into a professional.

I think it is something people take pride in. If you love your job and you feel you handle your every day experiences with your job, you will probably consider yourself a professional. I like to think that public relations is a profession. But I also realize that with my field of study, I also bring things to the table that aren’t part of my “professional training.”

Lee,
Great post and topic. Like Virginia said, we have encountered this discussion in many of our classes. I like to think that if you feel you have learned as much as you can about your particular field and you use your knowledge in your practices, you are a professional.
There is also a debate over whether PR should be taught by professors who have studied the field intensely, but have not practiced in the field, or by actual practitioners. This has been brought up in many articles on Odwyers, but in the end I think it all boils down to how you are going to be able to function after you graduate. The classes that we are taking now at Auburn are setting us up to be professionals. Our teachers insist on the best from all of us. We act like professionals and we will have the knowledge when we graduate to set us in the right direction to be true professionals in public relations one day.
We might not have a set code of ethics that most “professions” follow, but we do have a set of ethics that most PR practitioners know and should follow. We have no way of punishing those who stray from these ethics, but I like to think that most people will follow our “honor code”.

I think that being a professional is about how you carry yourself more than anything else. As long as you take whatever you are doing seriously and work hard you should be considered professional. Being on time, making good impressions on people, being mature, and working dilagently are all aspects of a professional. After graduating from Auburn, my proffesion will be Public Relations, and I will consider myself a professional.

I am in a band in which I play the guitar, and I consider myself a professional in that area. Someone who works in a restaurant is a professional if they act like a professional. In my opinion, there does not need to be a governing body over me to say if I am a professional or not.

I hope that each public relations student at Auburn University graduates with the feeling that he or she is a professional. No, we are not “held” to our code of ethics, but we have been intensely trained, and we know what is approproate and acceptable in the public relations world. Certain issues that have come up recently have shocked my fellow classmates and me, becuase to us it was so apparent that PR professionals are not supposed to do “those things.” We work hard each week, and I know that I am proud of the work I’ve completed in this program. Yes, I know that people practice public relations without public relations degrees, which is great. But believe me, after the long projects, sleepless nights and endless deadlines, we all should leave here with diplomas in our hands and feeling like professionals. And even though some people question PR as a “profession,” I hope that once they meet, interview and undoubtedly hire an Auburn University public relations graduate, they never question PR as a profession again. I know that the training we have received is exemplary, and we will make any employee grateful that they chose a public relations pro who just happens to be an Auburn graduate.

G’Day Lee - I’d like to think all the blood, sweat, and tears that were invested in my education will pay off upon graduation. Public relations as a practice doesn’t boast the history that law or medical professions can. This doesn’t make public relations any less relevant or important, though. Education and training are essential in practicing effective public relations. By definition, PR practitioners are professionals. Everyone can claim the title of ‘professional’ in any career, but that title doesn’t necessarily carry excellence.

The ability to differentiate good practices from bad or scummy ones is taught through education. The ‘professionals’ who practice public relations badly probably rate themselves highly; not realizing the negative impact they have on ‘good professionals’ in the same practice. There are many ‘professionals’ out there, good and bad in all careers; my job is to make sure the work I produce positively impacts the sphere of public relations. Afterall, the PR field is based on communications theories, then carried out artfully by the PR ‘professional.’

I believe that with enough time, hard work, dedication and drive I will one day call myself a professional, but for now I am merely a child. As in I’m learning and soaking up every bit of information I possibly can.

I one day want to take pride in calling myself a professional. Anybody can be one. I understand that you don’t have to have a degree or wear a suit and panty hose to be called a professional. It takes time, hard work, dedication and drive in anything you set your mind to.

One day I want to take pride in my job. I want to succeed because I love what I do and strive each day to be better. The skills I am learning now are training me for that day. That day when I finally can call myself a “professional.”

Lee,
This topic is one that I’ve been struggling with throughout my college career. It’s the same question that comes up when someone asks what kind of knowledge I’m learning in my major. Most people seem confused about what exactly public relations is. I usually spit out something about AP Style or press releases, but I can always tell that people seem skeptical about my “profession.”

According to the definitions you included, we are a profession, but I can see why people are skeptical. It’s hard to define what we do, and while we have a code of ethics, we have no real way to enforce it. Anyone can call themselves a public relations practioner, regardless of their ethics.

I think what will make us professionals is our caliber of writing. I think it’s the one thing we have that makes our jobs a skill. Of course anyone can write, but knowing how to write well is a talent that takes practice and hard work. I know that when I graduate I will take away this skill and that makes me a professional.

It is hard to truly define a “professional”. The definition is different in every field of study or profession. I believe that for someone to be considered a professional they must have a great education and act in a professional manner. Although in many fields there are those that consider their selves professionals, but don’t act professionally or ethically.

I also believe that it is important how much experience someone acquires over time in his or her profession. After working in a specific profession or career for over 20 years, that person should be considered a professional to his or her colleagues.

In the PR world I believe that some people don’t consider PR practitioners to be professionals because there is no written code of ethics to follow. I don’t believe it is necessary to have this code of ethics to be considered a “professional”. There are many other aspects to be considered including education, experience and most importantly how someone acts.

Along with others who have commented on this post, I don’t believe that many people would consider PR practitioners “professionals.” In the PR world which Robert has introduced us to, I believe that the most important thing is reputation. You can have all the tools of the trade and know the most, but if you don’t know how to act “professional” or with dignity, you will have a bad reputation. I would much rather be considered a PR practitioner with a great, reliable reputation than a professional with a negative reputation. If Robert has taught us anything, it is to ACT professional, which entails keeping a good reputation and acting according to what is acceptable.

Lee
As I read your post and the additional comments, I have been trying to decide what I feel a “professional” is and whether or not I consider public relations a profession. I agree the most with the Merriam-Webster’s definition that says a profession is a “calling requiring specialized knowledge” and academic preparation. Based on that as well as our discussions in class on thsi topic, I consider public relations a profession. While at college I have been “intensely trained” and signifcantly increased my knowledge of public relations.

Although I have learned an incredible amount, I do not think I will be able to consider myself a professional without “real world” experience. In my opinion, a professional is experienced and well respected in his or her field. Aside from the various projects and assignments I have worked on in school, I look forward to learning from the challenges I will face when I am a public relations practitioner. I agree that being a professional relies a lot on how you conduct yourself as well as your reputation. While I look forward to entering the profession of public relations upon graduation, I will need more experience in the field to honestly consider myself a professional.

Defining a professional is a task that sometimes becomes messy and can be a tangled web of different definitions/accomplishments. People often feel that if they accomplish their own set list of goals and expectations that they are automatically deemed a professional in their career. Others feel that if they rise above others in their career, then they are a professional in what they do. I feel that a professional works and strives beyond their education, practice of work and level of abilities - a true professional has strong education within a deep-rooted passion for their area of expertise and they never stop learning or improving their abilities. I do agree with Lee that many could argue that pr and business communications are not professions because anyone can do it; however pr is a profession when individuals practice it with all of their knowledge, skills, ethics, determination, and thirst to never stop learning. It is up to the individual if they want to achieve the title of a professional. When I graduate in August this year, I want to not only receive a piece of paper stating I have a Bachelor of Arts in public relations, but I want to prove to my family, friends, and the public that pr majors can and do make a good difference in business, communications, and all organizations. My family and several friends don’t understand public relations and think it is the most nonsense major ever! With not so many good odds towards us, it will be difficult to show the professional side of our major. Personally, I am tired of people thinking pr in nonsense and that I can not make a difference in my life or the business world with my major - but if we, as pr majors, want to show the world that we can be professionals we must be ready to act and work as ones. It will not be easy to explain to the business world and my family that I am part of a profession, but I know they will begin to see the professionalism when they actually take a look at the work that we as pr students do.

Lee,
It’s a little worrisome to think that I may not be considered a professional after working for three years toward a degree in public relations. I feel like we have really gained a good bit of practical knowledge that can be applied in a public relations career. Other similar majors on campus, like communication for example, focus more on theoretical learning, and don’t steer students in a particular direction.

Perhaps I won’t feel like a professional in the first stage of my career, but I’m hoping that after working for a while as a pr practitioner I can not only call myself a professional, but that others will see me as a professional too.

I think that pr practitioners should be personally responsible for creating and upholding a reputation that would suggest he or she is a professional. It’s unfortunate that not all practitioners want to spend the time and energy it takes to have a high caliber of work. I only hope that I can maintain a reputation for myself and my work that will let others know that I am a professional.

The black sheep of the class and coming in last- I do not think that public relations is a profession. I know, and trust me, it hit me pretty hard when I realized it a couple years and countless word doc.s later. I came to this decision during my internship this past summer. I was a pr assistant within a huge corporation and I took one day to walk throughout several different departments and ask questions. Scattered throughout the cubicles of marketing, sales, copy editing, purchasing, etc were people who graduated in public relations. Most of them had a similar story: after graduation they grabbed the first job they could that fit their abilities and floated between new titles and varied tasks until they found what fit.

We all did not become public relations majors to become pr practitioners like pre-meds all become doctors. We are majoring in public relations because it is what interests us. It’s more of a focus. We do it for the four years of discipline and improvement of our innate gift of gab and human interaction we all crave for our careers. And those careers, even within our small classroom, will be oh so broad .

I am not saying that none of us will become hugely successful and professional practitioners. One thing I love about pr is that you can’t fake it. I truly believe that a practitioner will advance based upon their pure skill with words, writing and winning others over. (Which is why I get so discouraged when people tell you that good old fashion writing is out the window, and fragment-sentence blogging and lingo is where it’s at)

So yes. It is a pain to know that no credentials are needed to be our co-worker, or for that matter, our superior. However, the freedom of picking up your laptop after a government campaign and starting a job in health communication is fabulous. Let the professions scoff and say we are a jack of all trades and king of none. We make a better dinner guest than an accountant any day.

To me being a professional is a mixture of your character and the skills you have learned from school. You don’t just become a professional by going to college, but you have to apply what you have learned to life experiences and obstacles. A lot of time and energy is invested in becoming a professional at your job. It is unfortunate that some people are not willing to put in the effort in pursuing their desired career. It takes time to become a professional because you have to gain experience.

With that being said, I don’t understand why people don’t see PR practioners as professionals. Practioners can be considered to be professional by judging their writing skills, how they handle crises and how they manage a campaign. It is crucial to have skills in all these areas. Once a practioner has obtained them, they should be considered a professional.

I am in my first year of a degree course in Public Relations with French, and as much as I would love to think that PR is a profession, I just don’t believe it.
From your dictionary definitions, which so clearly define a profession as requiring detailed training, I don’t think that anyone can argue PR deserves this status while there are still practitioners within the industry who barely even completed their A Levels.
The standard out there is not particularly high and it seems anyone can bang out a press release and hit send.
Yet I would like to think that one day I will be a professional in PR - because I don’t see a professional as someone who is part of a profession. I believe that professional signifies experience, dedication and talent in their career, whatever that may be.
So while I solemnly wave goodbye to the idea that I am entering into a well-trained, intensively-academically-prepared ‘calling’, I believe I can set my sights on becoming the best in my industry, with knowledge, training and talent to offer.

Great comment, Katy!

Earning a college degree in a particular field of study does not automatically make you a professional. When someone says you’re a “pro” at something most of the time they are talking about being extremely good at a specific job or activity. Just because you sat in a classroom for four years learning about the in and outs of being a successful PR practitioner doesn’t mean your going to be good at it once you actually enter the working world. Like Katy said, it takes extensive knowledge, experience, and talent to become a professional in any field. For example, a lawyer can take the LSAT, go to law school, and pass the bar exam, but it doesn’t mean he or she is automatically going to be a good lawyer. If they get in the courtroom and can’t think on their feet or formulate a challenging argument then according to their performance they’re really not a professional. They are not a “pro” at what they do. Therefore, you need you be able to excel and succeed in any chosen career before reaching the level of a professional.