When I graduated from Michigan State University in 2010, I moved to Chicago to begin my career at Edelman. I was active in PRSSA and had interned with Edelman before starting full time, but once I was there, I had a feeling of ‘what do I do now?’
Nick Lucido, PRSA New Professionals Section Chair
That’s when I decided to get active with the PRSA New Professionals Section.
Being involved with the New Pros group, I learned and networked my way through challenging career situations, learned how to advance my career and broadened my knowledge of the profession. While PRSSA is designed to help you start your career, and PRSA is broader in nature, the New Professionals Section is the buffer group designed for those with less than five years of public relations experience. We have more than 1,200 new professionals across the country covering different industry verticals and settings – this means there’s definitely someone out there in the same boat as you.
Questions like – Should I try to negotiate my salary? When is it time for me to move to a new position? How can I advance to the next level? – were all things I learned from programs and other members. I can promise you that whatever question or doubt you have about your career, there’s someone else out there with advice and experience to share. While we offer a long list of benefits for our members, the most powerful thing we offer is the connection to others.
This virtual support group has ‘traveled’ with me to Brazil, where I’m now stationed at Edelman’s operations in São Paulo. As I proudly lose my New Professional title, I’m proud to have been part of the organization and look forward to continuing my PRSA membership in other areas of the organization.
My piece of retirement advice is to make the most of your membership. If you’ve not yet taken advance of the membership benefits, there’s no better time to test it out than our annual New Professionals Week. Here’s a few ways to get involved:
- Be sure to tune in to our free webinar on Tuesday, August 25th at 11 a.m. ET – How to Activate an Influencer Network with Converged Media.
- There are 13 local events happening across the country – check out the full list here to see where the closest event is near you.
- Follow along to conversations online about the week and network with fellow members across the country: #npprsa
- Make sure you’re making the most of your membership – follow our content on the blog, participate and ask questions to other members in our Linkedin group and check out our database for past programs.
If you have any questions about your membership, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any other executive committee member. Happy New Pros Week!
Nick Lucido was the 2015 PRSA New Professionals Section Chair.
If you’re like me, the end of the year is a time to reflect on successes and challenges from the past year, as well as make plans for the upcoming year. New public relations professionals face a lot of challenges: a fast-paced and competitive job market, demanding clients and colleagues, and an evolving industry with an array of new channels and tools.