A small group of BPHS students gathered in room M429 on Tuesday, Nov. 11 as a part of the Public Relations version of the Career Spotlight Series.

For a full 42 minute period, BPHS PR director Vicki Flotta came in to give info to students about her career and the career in general.

First, here is a little background info on Mrs. Flotta. She went to Grove City College and received her BA in Communication Arts. Unsurprisingly, Flotta loves to write, and she wrote for the school paper at Grove City.

Early on in the gathering, Mrs. Flotta said that anyone who is trying to get into the public relations field should get a double major with combinations such as communications and business, communications and market, etc.

After college, she went on to work for MARC Advertising as an account executive, then she moved on to Woodland Hills School District as the PR director for 10 years. After her tenure at Woodland Hills, she moved on to become the BPHS PR director in January 2003.

By definition, the meaning of public relations is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public.

Flotta and all other PR directors have to manage public affairs for their respective company or school. You will have to do a variety of things such as working with local media, spreading the word of the school or company, dealing with negative publicity, bringing people in to help the district, etc.

Flotta also mentioned a bunch of skills you will need to succeed in the field. Some of the many skills include: organization skills, reading a lot, taking pictures, and being technologically advanced.

If money is your fancy, this job could be for you. Flotta said, with hard work, dedication, and time you have the potential to make up to six figures.

She wasn’t kidding about time you have to put in. She said, “I am supposed to work 8-4:30, but I usually work beyond that, and it is way longer than a 40 hour week.”

Even with the plethora of hours she puts in, she still loves her job, and encourages students to get into the field if they love to read, write, and talk to people.

The job outlook is going to increase over the next eight years, bls.gov says that the public relations field is expected to increase 12% by 2022.

If you feel that you have the writing ability, people skills, and the mental toughness to deal with the people and media, then you may want to look deeper into a public relations career.