Most undergraduate public relations students share an idea of their early working years that looks something like this: get an internship, mingle in professional networks and find a full-time job in public relations. From there, they’ll proceed to move up the lad-der over the course of their work-ing years, occasionally switching jobs as opportunities arise. It’s a solid plan.

But it’s not the only option. We’ve all seen flyers for the Peace Corps. There’s that one girl who’s learning Japanese so she can teach abroad for a few months. And the hundreds of stories of successful young entrepreneurs make us won-der if we should be our own bosses right out of the gate.

Knowing whether or not a non-traditional start to your career is right for you takes a lot of intro-spection and comes with questions that can’t be answered on Google. Much of it comes down to your own passions, your tolerance for risk and your life situation. But before I outline the pros and cons, the most important thing to know is that being adventurous in your early professional life does not mean putting a hold on your public relations career — in fact, it can set you apart from the crowd.

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE

So here’s my story: I studied public relations at Illinois State

With 343 Chapters and more than 11,500 members, it is crucial that PRSSA creates and keeps a consistent brand. To accomplish this, the PRSSA Style Guide and Brand Identity Guidelines were created.

WHAT IS THE PRSSA STYLE GUIDE?By now, Chapter meetings are in the near future. This often equals

more opportunities for your Chapter to get recognized by submit-ting Chapter News. As you are writing future press releases, posts for Progressions or any other document for PRSSA, be sure to consult the PRSSA Style Guide throughout the writing process.

The PRSSA Style Guide contains the official style guidelines for PRSSA publications and should be used as a reference when communi-cating with Chapters and members. This resource should become one of your best friends by the end of the year.

A few common mistakes the PRSSA Style Guide addresses:

Chapter is always capitalized (including Chapter president, Chapter liaison, etc.)

Titles before a name are always capitalized, while titles after a name are not.o PRSSA Vice President of Public Relations Ethan Parryo Ethan Parry, PRSSA vice president of public relations, said ...

Public relations should always be spelled out, even on second reference.

Before you send in your next Chapter News or Progressions sub-mission, be sure to reference the PRSSA Style Guide.

WHAT ARE THE PRSSA BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES?This resource contains all the information Chapters need to know

in regard to the use of the PRSSA logo, colors, the PRSSA tagline, typeface and other templates.

University where I was active in PRSSA. Studying abroad in Paris opened my eyes to travel. I started my postgraduate life with a short internship followed by a year of living in rural South Korea where I taught English. During that time I not only explored the country and made friends, but I also used my free time to develop more skills by writing for a video game website, practicing 3-D modeling and learn-ing a programming language — as well as a little Korean.

I returned home with a wealth of new skills and memories, and hopped aboard two different startups: My mentor’s boutique public relations agency, Quick-silver Edge, and a video game developer created by my friends and me, FullByte Games. Work-ing with two startups meant I was — and still am — living on a very small income, but the challenges and flexibility they provide have already led to two accomplish-ments I’m very proud of: Full-Byte’s first game is playable and a campaign I ran at Quicksilver Edge was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in the industry, the PRSA Silver Anvil.

WEIGHING THE OPTIONSCondensing the story of

anyone who has successfully lived their life a little differently can give the impression they are exceptionally prescient. But that is rarely the case, and it certainly

wasn’t with me. Nothing I got out of my experiences, not the friends nor the Anvil, was I expecting ahead of time.

And that is both the main difference and the main deter-rent of a non-traditional career start: security vs. serendipity. Whereas moving up in a company is a 50-50 mix of persistence and seizing opportunities, doing things non-traditionally is 95 percent the latter. You’re bound to reap excit-ing rewards, but you can’t plan for them ahead of time.

In addition, the glamor associ-ated with unique lifestyles often masks their costs. Leaving my family for a year to go to Korea seemed like a trivial thing until my grandmother died and I couldn’t attend her funeral. And while I’m proud of what I’ve done at the startups, I’m halfway through my twenties and have yet to put any-thing into retirement. These real costs take real consideration.

So if you’re considering doing something different, here’s what you should do: Figure out what as-

pects of life are the most important to you, and figure out how doing that something will fit in with them. Then, talk to someone who has done what you are planning to do so you can better consider its pros and cons. Get input from a variety of people, including those you’re not necessarily close to. And if you decide to do it, look for experiences and perspectives that develop you in new ways as a person. In the end, if you take the road less traveled by, you may find that it made all the difference.

With these guidelines also exists a measure of flexibility.“As communicators, the key is to communicate the PRSSA brand as our central organizing principle,

while remaining open to adjustment and renewal based on the wants, needs and expectations of our diverse communities,” says the PRSSA Brand Identity Guidelines.

BRANDING IS A JOINT EFFORTOur Society cannot create a consistent brand without the help of every member. You can play your part in reinforcing the PRSSA brand by reading the PRSSA Style Guide and Brand Identity Guidelines on a regular basis and sharing them with the rest of your Chapter.

“As a representative of PRSSA, you have a unique role in making certain that your Chapter conveys PRSSA’s brand identity in ways that are consistent with the approach of the national organization,” says the PRSSA Brand Identity Guidelines.

For any questions on PRSSA branding or style, please contact PRSSA Vice President of Public Relations Ethan Parry.

Public relations professional Chris Orris accepts the PRSA 2014 Silver Anvil Award for a campaign he ran for Quick-silver Edge Strategic Communications. Orris credits his success to a few non-traditional career moves, and encourages students to consider doing the same. Photo courtesy of Albert Chau.

PRSSA VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS