Aim High, There's Plenty of Room

This is where I live now (annescountrygallery.co.uk)

Around the country many of my fellow PR students will be tottering off nervously, excitedly, even confidently into offices to begin their placements years. I love writing about employability, and have looked at the subject of placement years numerous times, so I am very excited to be currently pursuing my own.

We all have our own personal reasons for choosing to take a year out of studying and undertake a placement year, so I wanted to share with you some of the qualities and experiences I hope to gain over the next year.

1. To become a better writer. There is always room to improve your writing, and this is something I am passionate about. Writing has been an outlet to me since I was able to craft words on a page. In my life I write down everything, from ideas, to lists, to emotions. The real skill in writing is learning to create work designed for a specific audience and succeeding in getting your message across. During my placement year I want to work hard on really refining my writing in order to develop the most effective form for my company.
2. To understand PR. This by no means translates as my course having been poor so far, but I do still feel I need to understand more about the role PR plays in the business world. A combination of short-term placements and academic theory have given me glimpses but in the next year I want to learn more about the importance of effective PR. By the end of the year I hope to be confidently defending the necessity of PR to any doubters.
3. Experience the environment. It is not possible to replicate the working atmosphere at university, so this year gives me a chance to enjoy the business environment and be able to get involved in all aspects of working life.
4. Know my dissertation! The dreaded D word! I am hoping that a year in industry will help me develop my PR interests and hopefully out of this will come a dissertation subject that will keep me interested throughout the assignment period.
5. Prepare for final year. Dissertation is simply one part of final year, and I believe a placement year will equip me with the skills and knowledge to help advance me during my final years, hopefully resulting in a satisfactory outcome at the end of my degree.
6. Ignite a love for the outdoors. Random one? Not really, my placement has seen me relocate from my city locations to a rural village in the South East. Being such a foreign environment my hope is that I embrace the access to the outdoors and get more involved with the walking, cycling and other outdoor activities I enjoy but neglect while in the city.

In a year’s time I will be sure to update you on whether I realised my hopes and wishes for the year. In the meantime I will be working hard to ensure I get the best experience from my placement year.

So, what do you want to gain from your placement year? Please leave your comments below.

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