SFU Continuing Studies' Public Relations Certificate got Carolyn Smith a new career in PR
http://www.sfu.ca/PRprogram
A poor job market for journalists led Carolyn Smith to consider a new career that would keep her close to the news: public relations.
"I was noticing that there were more [jobs] in public relations and I applied for a couple and found that...I wasn't qualified and didn't have enough experience. For example, I didn't even know wheat crisis communications was at that time. So, I started looking into the programs and found the SFU program, and it was short and in Vancouver. So, I wanted to come and try it out."
Smith completed the nine-week program in the fall of 2010, which allowed her to get back into the work force quickly.
"The SFU program is shorter than any other program in Canada that I saw for PR...I wanted to get trained quickly and do it as fast as possible while still getting a quality education. It seemed like the best place to do it."
Smith appreciated the fact that SFU Continuing Studies' PR program changes with the industry.
"Instructors change, they add different courses, or they bring a new people to talk about social media or about things that are constantly changing because that's how the industry is," Smith said. "You need different people...It just wouldn't be feasible for a four-year degree because it would be set in stone."
Smith recommends the program to anyone interested in the PR industry. "You'll get a career; it'll help you," she said. "You'll know everything you need to know about PR, and you also will learn about how to work with the media, how to write, you'll learn about advertising...If you want to get into the industry, it's a definitely good place to start."
Smith loves her new career. "I love that PR is always different. Every day in my job is different. So, the media will call and will be interested in the stories that I've pitched. And I immediately have to coordinate a camera going out to interview one of our clients and I have to collect the coverage and send it to the clients. It's really interesting. It's like being part of the news and you are part of what's currently going and I always love that...I definitely see myself in PR for the rest of my life."
To find out more about the Public Relations Certificate and other career programs at SFU Continuing Studies, visit http://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies.