Our intern Brittany only had a brief time with us, but she found the time to pop together some thoughts about what she’s learned this year. So we thought we’d kick off this year’s ‘What I’ve Learned In…’ series with Brittany’s learnings!

It’s totally ok to say no (stop overcommitting yourself!)

No is a word I don’t use very often, especially when it comes to working. I’ve always been afraid to say no, whether it be because I didn’t want to let anyone down or I didn’t want to miss out on any opportunities. As a fresh a graduate, I felt everything that came my way from events to working extra hours I just couldn’t (and didn’t) say no. I did everything that was expected of me and more.

However, I quickly realised there weren’t enough hours in a day to finish everything I had committed myself to. To keep things going, I learned that it’s more than okay to say no. Once this realisation kicked in, I instantly felt happier. Spreading yourself way too thin does more harm than good. Now I give myself a commitment limit!

Handwritten lists are still golden

This year I learned very quickly that although I rely on my iPhone and laptop way more than I should, handwritten lists are still as helpful as ever. I know programmes have come out to make organising your daily tasks simpler and easier but I enjoy nothing more than writing down everything I need to do using a pretty pen and cute note pad. A pink pen and cute notepad from Typo, to be exact! My notepad doesn’t run out of battery when I urgently need to find out where my next meeting is, and it definitely doesn’t overheat and explode. It’s actually the only time of the day I realised I wasn’t on some sort of technological device, which now too often consumes most of our days!

PR is a difficult job to explain to your parents

Throughout my time at university my parents never quite understood what PR was. And it didn’t quite help that when I was asked what the job consisted of I couldn’t give them a definition that they understood. As the year progressed and people started to do some crazy stuff in the media I was finally able to show my parents some practical examples of what PR is. Although I am a graduate and have not had my fair share of experience in the PR industry just yet, I was able to show my parents what PR practitioners should (and shouldn’t do) when it comes to crisis management. Whether it be helping a rugby team get out of a stripper crisis or doing unnecessary things in a public toilet, my family was finally convinced that PR is an important and much needed profession!