Flackette

I was surprised but intrigued to see this post from PR Squared. Basically, Todd says that while he respects those with APR accreditation, 1) it could stifle PR pros in their practice, and 2) mandatory accreditation could discourage young hopefuls from trying to enter the field of PR.

I typically agree with Todd’s points and think that he has some great insight into the direction of our field. However, this time I tend to side with the pro-APR team.

A while ago I read the original post by Kami Huyse that Todd referenced and found it inspiring. You should give it a read if you haven’t already. I had always assumed that someday I would work towards my APR, and despite the points Todd makes I think it will remain a personal goal of mine. Even if the PRSA’s methodology is somewhat outdated, getting your APR establishes the core principles of PR and also forms good planning habits for campaigns. As Kami has said, it changes your thinking when approaching PR problems, which I can only see as a good thing.

I agree with Todd that mandatory APR would make some balk at entering the profession, but perhaps we want them to. I’d prefer that our profession be viewed as more difficult to enter than too easy. At this point you don’t even need a degree to do PR in some areas of the profession.

That said, I know that those without APR can still do a killer job at PR. As Todd pointed out, his own agency is a testimony to this. But not everyone can work at an agency that commits itself to nurturing an employee’s skill in the field. In fact, I would say many PR people work at companies that don’t care how they execute public relations plans, as long as they get plenty of coverage and make the Big Boss happy. APR certification could help practitioners obtain guidance that they may not have at work.

Plus, if APR can make a great professional even better, I’m definitely interested.

I doubt that when I get my APR someday that my freedom as a practitioner will be stifled in any way. I’m a little too free spirited to define myself by three small letters. I think of PRSA accreditation much in the same way Captain Barbossa views the Pirate’s Code: “the Code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

If you’re still unconvinced, Stuart Bruce got in on the discussion with some great points on the APR dilemma and why it is still important to consider getting accredited.

Don’t jump the APR ship yet, mateys!

A few days ago I stumbled across an interesting post at the bitemarks blog written by Kristin Maverick. Apparently Michael Noer, executive editor at Forbes thinks that career women do not make good marriage candidates, and that men everywhere should beware!

Why? Because, dear reader, “recent studies have found professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat, less likely to have children, and, if they do have kids, they are more likely to be unhappy about it.”

Noer implies that women who care about their jobs put career at a higher priority than family, reaping devestating consequences for the husband and children.

It made me think of my own life and how I choose to prioritize my relationships. I remember when I was first starting out as an intern at my current employer. Since I was working for experience and not cash, I went back to my token high school and college job at Peet’s Coffee & Tea and added another job as a hostess for a fancy French restaurant to make ends meet.

My boyfriend absolutely hated it.

I worked nearly every weekend, and when I did have days off I was too tired to be much fun. It was miserable, and when I was bumped up from intern to paid full-timer he happily informed me that I could now quit my other jobs. Which I promptly did. After that, my life went back to the appropriate balance of work and relationship time.

I am very invested in my job and my future career path. I do, however, like most women, make sure that the important relationships in my life take priority over other, more temporal things. The job I have today may not be around in five years, but if all goes according to plan, my relationships will. In fact, I happen to be quite close with a fellow PR practitioner that manages to juggle a high level job with taking care of her young daughter. Aside from being a trusted friend and mentor to me, she is one of the best mothers I know: living proof that it is possible to have a successful professional AND family career.

I agree with Kristin in that Michael’s contentions could apply to either man or woman. A man is just as able as a woman to become a workaholic, if not more prone, and an absent husband is no better than an absent wife.

Forbes apparently realized this as well, since they responded to the article’s highly negative reaction by posting a new article from Senior Editor Elizabeth Corcoran as a counterpoint to Noer’s: “Don’t Marry A Lazy Man.” Corcoran adeptly mends the open sore by discussing the problems that men bring to a marriage, speaking up for career women everywhere, and ending with the following advice:

“So guys, if you’re game for an exciting life, go ahead and marry a professional gal.”

Besides the counter response, Forbes also posted a link on their site for discussion of the two articles. Despite Noer’s distasteful article, I must give kudos to the Forbes team for trying to remove the foot from their mouth and recognizing readers’ concerns.

I know that it’s been an incredibly long time since my last post, but I’ve been busy lately with work, and going on one of my yearly camping trips last week (yearly camping trip #2 is set for September and I can’t wait!).

It seems all too appropriate that on the day I decide to get back on the blogging horse, Mike Driehorst of Mike’s Points writes about juggling the responsibilities of a blog with your professional and personal life. It made me reiterate again to myself exactly why I decided to start blogging in the first place.

I may not post with regularity, and I may not have any profound insight to contribute to the conversation yet. In fact, after such a long absence from the blogosphere my handful of readers may have disappeared into the vapor. (If you haven’t, let me know!)

However, I ultimately started this blog as a learning experience, for practicing my writing skills as well as to learn from those practitioners who dispense PR wisdom through blogging. I have learned so much so quickly since that start that it boggles my mind.

For those of you that still read, thank you, and I hope to be more consistent in posting from now on. If no one reads, well, I’m still learning. And that is what’s important.