Choosing public relations as a career : student expectations and implications for practice

International studies show students study public relations because they believe it is glamorous, involves public appearances and party planning, and makes people happy (Bowen, 2003; Storto, 1990). Bowen’s (2003) ‘I thought it would be more glamorous’ study established a gap between student expectations and the reality of public relations with most students expressing surprise about the diversity and depth of the discipline. Using international research as its base and drawing from the authors’ previous studies of almost 700 students, this study explores the Australian perspective to identify motivations to study public relations and preferences for positions and workplace environments