Scottish PR agency | From caterpillar to butterfly for student

Gap year student Mairie Barr looks back at whirlwind opportunity

The decision to defer my university placement by a year was met with a lot scepticism.

To my peers, the thought of holding off on a year of new friends and fun after the turmoil of the pandemic was ludicrous – and the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do in my gap year didn’t fill them with much confidence. But I had a gut feeling, despite everyone’s apprehension, that there was something bigger coming.

When I found out about the PR and Journalism Assistant position available at Holyrood PR, I knew my instincts had served me well – a year of paid work experience in the media at just seventeen-years-old was an absolute dream! I jumped towards the opportunity, pouring my heart into a very passionate cover letter. After a week of lustful dreaming, I found out I got the job.

I woke up incredibly nervous on my first day, having never stepped into an office before, I had no idea what was waiting for me. Thankfully, my nerves settled when I arrived at Holyrood PR HQ. I could not have asked for a warmer welcome from the team who greeted me with smiles and coffee.

The first few weeks was an overload of information, jam-packed full of unfamiliar yet exciting tasks. From writing success posts and creating graphics, to being taken through excel masterclasses. Understandably I was a little overwhelmed by the huge amounts of new information I was receiving, so I was very grateful to the team for carefully taking me through complicated tasks and patiently answering all of my queries.

Before starting as a PR and Journalism Assistant I had always been painfully shy, struggling to even order food. While at school, I felt this was a severe limitation and a huge barrier in the way of my success. I had all the theory but could not get the words out.

As I found my feet at Holyrood PR, it pushed me outside my comfort zone more and more. The once silent girl who struggled to muster up a “hello” in the morning was exposed to team meetings, group calls, and brainstorms – over time I began to find my voice.

Being surrounded by an inspiring team of industry professionals encouraged me to put myself forward more and more. The team supported me and I became more confident and found myself voicing creative ideas, putting myself forward for tasks and drafting pieces of writing.

My year at this Scottish PR agency is coming to a close but looking back I have uncovered hidden strengths and put them to good use like identifying my love for data analysis and working with excel and statistics. After a year of learning the ins and outs of the industry, not only has my verbal communication improved immensely but so too have my writing skills.

From day one, I felt like a valuable part of the team and that improved my confidence exponentially and encouraged me to speak up more and more, not just in a professional setting but in my personal life as well. For the first time in my life, I have a sense of self-assurance when talking to new people.

A year in, and I am unrecognisable from the voiceless girl that stepped through the door. Ultimately, working in public relations as a teenager has been an incredible privilege. Knowledge and understanding of the industry are not things that can be so simply learned at university and are skills I will carry forth into the rest of my adult life.