Lighthouse Blues

Lighthouses have such a romantic air to them. (Others, I know, may attach a spooky aura but I am not one of them.) These structures stand steady and tall against the sea as waves descend, sometimes crash them. Inside, the lighthouse keeper keeps close tabs on weather reports and sea tides and takes necessary precautions to help guide incoming boats and vessels reach shore, particularly at night, to ensure they do so safely and without mishap. The keeper maintains a low-key, quiet existence, I imagine, going about his or her business with unflappable precision, yet with a contentment that theirs is largely a life of solitude and limited interaction with others.


For those who enjoy time alone and doing their own thing with minimal communicating with others, then such a profession is tailor-made for them. They have much "me time," yet do so in the name of keeping others safe. There is definitely wrong with that. Such a person with those kind of characteristics is perfect for a job as lighthouse keeper. This same person, however, would not be well-suited for a job in public relations. This particular professional does a great deal of interacting with others. In fact, their whole work day revolves around the concept of helping establish links between various publics and then devising strategies to help maintain them.


To succeed in public relations demands that a person be very interaction-oriented. Their behavior needs to be one of an extravert, the kind of person who even goes as far as to help others be more versed in networking. While they may enjoy occasional times of working alone at their desks, such moments are spent in the name of making connections. In short, while this is to say an introvert should not enter in the public relations profession, when such a person goes to work each day, they must be wearing their extravert mask. Unlike the lighthouse keeper, public relations practitioners are all about rubbing elbows with others.