Working with the public

Apparently the book review idea was a flop, seeing as how I have yet to write one. Or start writing one. My mother has finally set down an ultimatum about me finding a job and it really sucks. I know I need to find a job, but what she wants is just sooo not going to happen. Because there is no way I am giving her the satisfaction of me not having a job by next week. Part of the problem was I had (and this is mostly past tense now) no idea what I wanted to do, in the long run. I couldn't decide between working a crap job and going to grad school for an MFA in creative writing or trying to get a career type job in the communication field.

After four years of studying communication I kind of don't want to work in that area. It's fun, it's kind of fulfilling, but it's also really difficult to find a company whose morals I agree with. And that's something I have never gotten my parents to understand. When working in a public relations job it's not about the products, it's all about the company and it's reputation. If the company doesn't live up to that reputation then I have been selling a lie. I don't like selling lies, I hate feeling like I duped someone. It's unpleasant, unprofessional, and it happens all the time. Most people aren't even aware of the messages they're being fed, of the half truths a company spouts off after a major disaster. I could be a great asset to a PR team, but I don't want to be. I'd like to believe I still have morals.

Not that all companies are evil, most aren't, but people in power have a nasty habit of trying to spin things instead of being honest. The general public is a lot more forgiving of an honest company that apologizes for a mistake than a company that tries to cover one up. And it's almost always up to the crisis PR team to convince the CEO that the best answer is honesty.