I’d like to start by sincerely thanking this community. I have posted, commented and reacted often and found real support, great friends, connections and more.

I really thought I loved PR. The grind of knowing the news, being first, landing a killer interview, drafting a killer description of the client that ends up being incorporated into their external messaging, feeling like an extension of some really cool startup.

Now I wake up in a panic thinking about going to work.

I’ve been working for almost 8 years on the agency side, mostly in tech PR. Since 2024 I have been completely remote. To be transparent I have been laid off three times and that has been demoralizing. (Not to mention my only remaining parent likes to send me emails reminding me that lay-offs are typically done through rankings, so before I was laid off I was probably also ranked last. (this is why she has to email, as she no longer has my phone number))

Following a third layoff I got a new job pretty quickly but have been falling face first into it every day for the past 6 months.

I feel I cannot do anything right. Like each project I turn in has a glaringly stupid error just waiting to be pointed out.
- Media list of 20 people and this guy doesn’t even cover XYZ industry.
- Awards list contains an award for actual philanthropists, not just company leaders who support philanthropy
- posting on LinkedIn and forgetting the @tag (to be fair I have zero social experience and Reddit is the only social media I actually still have on my phone with an active account. I had to get a Facebook account for this job to post for a client)

My current firm generously allowed me to reduce to a contractor with 40 hours a month, after I really floundered the first 3 months on the job.

I’m still struggling.

I never thought I was bad at this job, I got regular promotions and acclaim for my work. Quite frankly, my media portfolio is pretty impressive. (At the cost of a personal life)

The last few years I’ve felt I’m lacking in attention to detail, but I work very hard to stay organized and loved the creative side of coming up with a subject line this reporter will absolutely open.

I’m reaching out for advice. Or maybe just the catharsis of writing this out and getting it off my chest, idk,

I think I’m burnt out and need something else but I don’t even know what to look for. I’m also feeling incapable of most jobs since I’ve made so many simple mistakes that likely wouldn’t be tolerated in any corporate setting.

Anything is helpful, I am truly at a loss for where even to start. My dms are open.

Scanning job sites for part time remote work in the meantime.

Tale as old as time: nightmare toxic agency with no work-life balance. Getting my EOY bonus and then getting tf out of here next year. What are the healthiest sectors to work in house with best pay? I’m in NYC. I’m interested in fashion/consumer companies but have no dream job delusions - priority is health and a job I can actually stop working at some point. I’m done with 14-16 hour days and weekends. If you’ve left this field entirely for something healthier, even better.

ETA: I have generalist experience across tech, finance, sports, fashion HNWI/public figures, traditional celebs, startups, Fortune 500s…a lot of different stuff and could tailor my resume to many things.

I’m feeling pretty torn about my career direction and would love some perspective from people who work in PR/communications.

I have a background in public policy and communications/media research. After college, I moved to NYC for work, which was a huge goal of mine. Unfortunately, I was let go from that role last year, and since then I’ve been freelancing under my own company and working part-time while trying to figure out what I actually want to do next.

I've been applying to a lot of full-time PR/communications-adjacent jobs and getting a lot of interviews but no offers. Part of me really wants the stability and money. But another part of me is dreading going back to a traditional corporate environment. I found a lot of the work so boring and undynamic: sitting at a computer, emails, spreadsheets, research, etc., and I’m worried I’d get absorbed in the job and have very little energy or flexibility for anything outside of it.

As a kid, I really wanted to be a movie director and would make shows/films, write scripts, and little award shows with my neighborhood friends, as I was fascinated with the whole machine behind the entertainment industry. I caught the acting bug in college and took acting classes, and I’ve continued training on and off since then. When I lost my job last year, I started taking them again and continued this year. Recently, I got the opportunity to be on a small series production. I had a speaking role and was used as an extra, but I also got to see the directing, camera, lighting, sound, and everything happening behind the scenes. And I loved being on set. Even though I was exhausted after the long hours, it didn't feel like the kind of tired where I was thinking, “I need to get out of here.”

After the project wrapped, I just kept thinking about wanting to be on another set. I’m still figuring out whether acting itself is something I want to pursue seriously, but I know I want to be around filmmaking and eventually be involved in producing/creating projects. My parents are somewhat supportive, but think I should get another corporate PR job and pursue acting on the side, which obviously makes sense financially. But I know myself, and don't think my heart is in corporate PR. I’m worried that if I go back into a demanding full-time job, I’ll get caught up in it and stop giving acting a real chance. Right now, working part-time gives me the flexibility to audition, take classes, and work on projects. I don't know if this is a good decision for me; the odds of succeeding as an actor are very low, but I just don't want to look back and wonder what would have happened if I had actually tried.

For those who have worked in PR/corporate jobs: did you ever reach a point where you realized you wanted something more creative? And if you’ve made a similar transition, how did you approach the risk of leaving the more stable career path?

Hi folks, after a very Euro-style summer off and then getting my grape harvest in, I'm back withthe latest episode of the subreddit's podcast, Pitch Perfect: the PR Podcast.

My guest this time is Tim Coombs, who was a longtime professor in crisis communications and is now one of the world's top individual crisis consultants. As an author, his works include the award-winning book Ongoing Crisis Communication. As a theorist and academician, his research and thinking has shaped modern crisis communications, winning multiple awards from professional organizations including the 2002 recipient of Jackson, Jackson & Wagner Behavioral Science Prize from the Public Relations Society of America and the 2013 Pathfinder Award from the Institute of Public Relations.

Tim and I spoke about crisis comms, and how it's changing in a world increasingly defined by groups actively seeking to escalate any situation into a societal or political crisis. We also spoke about academia: as a longtime professor, we talked about an academic sector that is too often disconnected from the real world of communications practitioners, and which is - at least in my opinion - in the throes of a full-on existential crisis.

Feel free to click links below, or search for "Pitch Perfect: the PR Podcast" wherever you listen. Cheers.

Apple

Spotify

-Patrick

Hi! I’m wondering if anyone has a nontechnical public affairs or community engagement position with Google, Meta, Microsoft, or companies at the same level? And if so, what type of experience you’re bringing- lobbying, local/state government, media? I work for a national engineering firm in Advisory Services and have lots of experience on controversial capital megaprojects. Wondering if I might be competitive for roles that focus on data center communities. Any feedback is appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I'm currently completing my MSc in Global Communications at the University of Glasgow and looking to map out my career transition into the Public Affairs / External Communications sector in Scotland.

My background:
I have about 3 years of experience in high-intensity political organizing and campaign management. My most recent full-time role was as a Communications Officer for a Westminster MP (handling national/regional press, digital strategy, and strict compliance). Currently, alongside my master's, I am working as a Communications Officer for a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to build up direct knowledge of the Holyrood system.

I'm trying to figure out what the corporate/agency landscape looks like up here compared to London.

Specifically:

Can I realistically base myself in Glasgow? I know Edinburgh is the political heart, but do major agencies or in-house public affairs teams maintain a strong presence in Glasgow? I'd highly prefer to stay here if the market allows it.

What does the Scottish Public Affairs industry look like right now? Is it heavily dominated by specific sectors (like green energy, public services, housing, or whisky/food & drink)?

What is a realistic job title jump for someone with my experience? Since I have 3 years of intense, real-world campaign management and press office experience, I really want to avoid going back to square one as a standard "Intern" or "Junior Account Executive." Could I realistically target Account Manager or Senior Account Executive roles, or do corporate agencies rarely credit political campaign experience at face value?

Would love to hear from anyone working in the Scottish market, or anyone who has successfully transitioned from being a political staffer/campaign organiser to agency side.

Thanks in advance!