Hello! I would like to introduce myself; I’m Lauren Willard, LCI’s newest Intern. So far my experience at LCI has been nothing short of fantastic. Everyone on the team is a pleasure to work with and I have been learning so much, in such a short period of time. Not only am I new to the team, but I am also new to the industry as I recently made the difficult decision to switch from journalism to public relations.
I learned early on that this is a natural progression for most PR professionals. For me, however, it was a harsh reality check that our world isn’t so pretty.
I knew I had a knack for writing at the tender age of eight, when my third grade teacher praised my writing skills in front of the whole class. I realized my career goals of being a newspaper journalist while in high school. Throughout my college career I did everything I could to pave the way toward journalism success. Upon graduation I had glittery dreams of being an investigative journalist, dead set on finding answers to the world’s most hard-hitting questions.
As a business reporter moving up the editorial ranks, my dreams of becoming an editor were shattered when my publication was shut down due to the economic meltdown. As a struggling writer looking for work, I was determined to find a staff writer job like the one I held previously. After several internships that went nowhere, I sadly came to the conclusion that those jobs just don’t exist anymore.
Some die-hard journalists may call switching to PR “going to the dark side”, but I seem to think it’s finding the light at the end of the tunnel. I get the creative freedom and the financial stability I was looking for as well as the opportunity to learn all facets of the industry. Creative brainstorming is one aspect of PR I love, that I never had as a journalist. Instead of being stuck on one beat, I am given the chance to write for all our clients from banking to film production.
It’s been one bumpy road, but I am glad I finally found my calling at Landis Communications, Inc.!
Lauren – A difficult choice indeed. I also made the choice to leave media and join the public relations industry. While it is an adjustment, I think you will enjoy this side of the media equation!
Lauren – they say folks have a better future in PR than journalism. Welcome to the new world paradigm! Cheers, David