Going back to school during the global Covid-19 pandemic has been quite the pivot. At the start of 2020 I had my year all mapped out. I was newly married, living in Montreal, and had a 6 month backpacking trip across South-East Asia planned for July 2020. By March 15th, I was unemployed, moving home, and quickly realizing that my honeymoon was not going to happen.
I had always planned to go back to school, although I was thinking it would be in 2022 or 2023. I wasn't entirely sure what direction I was headed in. During the height of the pandemic lockdown in April I began to look at some options. First, I was going to do a 9 month pilates teacher training, I figured by January 2021 I would be travelling again, and being able to teach pilates while I travelled could be a passive income. By May I realized that travelling in January was still very unlikely. So I looked at PhD programs at NYU, Masters programs at UofT, and undergraduate programs at Concordia. I was thinking of explore food history and its relation to politics, policy, and its impact on society and culture. While this was, and still is a passion project for me, it is also an incredibly niche area of academia, one that would certainly lead to lots of new found information but probably not a job.
With my current academic background in Political Science, I had always had a passion for human rights, Canadian politics, and how to improve our society. I have an undergraduate degree in Canadian politics with a minor in Indigenous Studies, and a Masters of Canadian Politics, both from McMaster. I was never sure how to integrate my passion into a job. The Mohawk Public Relations suddenly seemed like a perfect fit. It would give me the practical skills, as well as work experience, and it could be applied across all areas. While I was applying to Mohawk I also rolled the dice and applied to a few PR jobs at different NGOs. I kept hearing the same thing, "you're academic background is great but you don't have any work experience or school experience in PR." That solidified for me the choice to go and pursue a post graduate diploma in Public Relations.
Going back to school for the first time in 5 years was a bit of an adjustment, and doing it online even more so. But nearly 12 weeks in and the routine has settled. I have started my placement, working for Collective Arts Brewing, and also volunteering for the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC). I am getting a balance of learning skills and tools in class, and then applying them in placement.
Completing a Public Relations course during the pandemic has also given me many real world examples of what PR looks like. This year seems to be one filled with constant conflict, drama, and messages that need the help of a good PR employee. Watching the Canadian Premiers try to address the pandemic, unemployment, closures, access to healthcare, etc, has been interesting and frustrating. It has really showcased how important it is to know your message, know your audience, and know the media.
Here is a little video from a British agency explaining how important the role of PR professionals are during this pandemic. The importance of messaging, consistency, and clear marketing.
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