Imagine you're sitting at home, flipping through the channels on TV. Aren't these familiar sights:

• A talk show with an actress discussing her new movie
• A press conference by a political candidate
• A documentary on conditions in Third World countries
• Coverage of a charity golf tournament
• Interviews with local people who participated in a march to Washington, DC
• Predictions about the number of traffic fatalities in the upcoming holiday weekend

All of these are examples of public relations at work - calling the public's attention to an event, issue or product. It's a fascinating professional field that uses all your knowledge of human motivation to increase support for certain causes. Fast-moving, high-energy, public relations is a career that's different every day, a place where you're able to see and measure the results of your work right away.

Think of PR as "unpaid advertising." Companies don't pay to have their PR message on TV or in the newspaper; the media decides what to cover, based on newsworthiness. That means an extra-creative challenge for PR practitioners, both in getting coverage and presenting their message effectively and intact.

Whether that message is "friends don't let friends drive drunk" or "see the season finale of Friends," public relations plays a big role in marketing. It complements advertising themes by working deeper in the same direction. When microwave ovens first came on the market, for example, the public relations departments of the manufacturers had to educate the public about how to use them, how cooking and reheating were different. They did this through articles in food magazines, recipe contests, demonstrators at appliance stores, and materials for home economics teachers. They worked with many different segments of the public.

Because there are so many segments, this field has great opportunity for specialization. You may target your message to workers (employee relations), stockholders (investor relations), legislators (government relations), or residents of the area (community relations) - just to name a few. This report gives a flavor of both specialized and general positions. Use what interests you for further investigation.