Switching from Journalism to Public Relations

In a University of Georgia journalism class split between journalism majors and public relations majors Merritt Melancon said her career switch from journalism to public relations had not been a big problem.

Merritt Melancon

Melancon had worked as a journalist since 2003 for a number of Georgia papers - the Eatonton Messenger, the Union-Recorder in Milledgeville, and the Athens Banner-Herald - until this past year when she made a career switch and began doing public relations for the College of Agriculture at the University of Georgia. 

“There’s not been much of a learning curve going into this office and this branch of PR” Melancon said “because a lot of what I’m doing is pushing public information out there.”  She said that the change in work environment was more of a shock than the change in work itself. 

Melancon said she made the switch because she didn’t feel that she and her husband could both sustain working at the Athens Banner-Herald where they were both putting in 12-hour days.

Melancon didn’t think she would work as a journalist again. “Once you make that leap you cannot really go back effectively,” Melancon said “I kind of feel like I would be tainted.”