Why I Became a Public Relations Student

by Ian Osinski, Alumnus 

Ian Osinski, a recent SIU graduate with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Advertising, shares his reasons for pursuing a degree in the field of Public Relations. 

Going to college was always a dream of mine. I couldn’t wait to one day get a degree and be able to throw my hat into the air and take on the world. Some students come to college with a blueprint of what they want to do, and they go after it. For me, I came to college tabula rasa. At first it was exciting to be uncommitted to a specific degree because I could do whatever I wanted. But eventually the realization started to sink in that I would have to declare a major.

Most of my friends went straight to the College of Business with the dream of becoming Wall Street’s next big wolf, but I knew that wasn’t my calling. One day I decided to write down all the things I was good at doing. I remember thinking to myself, “well, you’re good at talking, you’re pretty personable, and you like to solve problems.” Although this seemed like a good start, I didn’t have the slightest clue in what profession I could use those skills. I decided to speak with my advisor. I said “listen, I’ve got a list of things I think I’m good at doing. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?” The first thing she did was suggest that I sign up for some communication classes and see where they took me.

Very eager and ready to learn, I started my first string of communication classes in the spring of my sophomore year. I knew right away that I wanted to do something in the field of communication. I took Introduction to Public Relations and as I started to learn, all the skills I had written down months ago were easily applicable to this line of work, I knew I had found my profession. Day by day, the weight on my shoulders has been subsiding. as I am growing more confident that I will excel in this industry.

​I am now an alumnus of the Communication Studies department and it was an amazing journey. Here are two reasons I recommend PR:

· I have met people in my program that I will be friends with for life
· I have had teachers that inspired me to be something greater than I ever though I could be

If you find that you haven’t found your calling, I challenge you to ask yourself the same questions I did. You may not end up in communication, but the chances are high that you will. I personally couldn’t be happier to be a part of the public relations community here at SIU.

About Ian: Ian Osinski graduated from SIU with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Advertising. He was an active member of PRSSA and was heavily involved with Greek life on campus. Ian currently works for RevenueWell, a computer software company based out of Illinois.

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