I get so many questions asking, "What even is public relations and what do you do?" Mainly from my family because they wonder why I went from journalism to PR so quickly. PR also has so many stigmas around it as well.

PR has to do with how we manage communications from companies/organizations to the public. For me, I love solving problems, and I feel like PR doesn't sit around one big "picture" but multiple aspects of solving an issue. Being a PR professional consists of multiple skills like event planning and even writing. We need business skills and need to be able to know how to utilize data as well. Sometimes, PR's get a bad wrap though; the media sometimes portrays them as sly and rule bending. Movies and TV shows like, Thank You for Smoking or Sex and the City portray these stereotypes into full force.

I have always had dreams and aspirations of being high up in a company either doing PR, media advertising or social media management. I don't want to be a business woman who is only criticizediszed for the way media portrays her. Samantha Jones' PR "expertise" are not the way PR is in the real world. Her PR is represented by just planning parties and handling celebrities. Yes, we can do event planning, but there really isn't one specific thing PR's do.

We constantly are working on how to make our company/organization better and how to relate to the public as well. As I would love to go to star-studded events and eat at nice restaurants all the time, I'd much rather be problem solving with a group of peers on making an issue better. I love doing tracking and analysis, I love writing pitches and making up plans for what to do for an event. There is really no limit to what PR's can do and that's the best part of the profession. News has always been a huge part of my life, and I remember being little and being so excited for Good Morning America to come on so I could sit and watch it with my mom (specifically if I called off school because I was "sick"). I have a million Google alerts and make sure I watch Good Day Chicago whenever I go back home.

So, if you're thinking of getting involved in PR, I highly suggest doing so. It not only expands your skills, but it creates great connections and constantly keeps you on your toes. I can't say it's for everyone, but if I could one day do PR for the UFC in Las Vegas, I think my life would be way more than complete.