I am APR (And So Can You!)

By Penny Delaney Cothran, APR

So here’s the thing. If I can get my APR, you can too! And you should. It’s like honing a knife. Your skills are sharpened; your mind is tested; and you come out the other side ready to articulate what it is that you do all day. And when all is said and done, by the end of the process, you have these three neat letters behind your name.

I know. I know. There are so many reasons why you can’t/won’t/shouldn’t. Chief at the top of my “not now, not ever” list was, “who cares?” Does my boss, or any boss, for that matter, know what an APR is? Well, probably not, if you work outside of agency life. The good news is that all bosses understand professional development and betterment. And many of the good ones have a few letters after their names, too.

Second among my excuses was it was too expensive to pursue. They had a giant bookshelf of textbooks I thought I would need to buy (spoiler – you don’t need ALL the books, just 1-2 of the good ones and a free copy of the study guide). Best of all, the national Society refunds a huge portion of your out-of-pocket expense once you finally pass your examination.

Thirdly, and this is always the groan I hear the most, “it’s just not a good time for me right now.” Let me tell you a story about timing. In 2010, our wonderful SCPRSA chapter president, Melissa Flynn, took a job out of state. Those of us who were officers in the chapter all got bumped up a notch in succession. So Penny, who was leisurely enjoying her vice presidency, was suddenly a president-elect, which meant I would take the reins in 2011. Our chapter bylaws require that chapter presidents be accredited. Oh, dear. I had a decision to make. Get my butt in gear and get my APR so I could fulfill my duties, or bow out.

Then, came a monkey wrench. More like a monkey child. I got pregnant in February. Yep. Knocked up. So if I were to go for the brass ring, I’d have to do it with a bun in the oven and baby on the brain. I mulled it over for a long time. What sealed my fate was a trip to NYC to meet with other presidents-elect from PRSA chapters all over the country at the national Leadership Rally held each summer by the staff at PRSA. I met so many strong, confident practitioners who came from all walks of life – many of whom were parents too. I was plugged into our Society on a higher level than just my chapter. I felt like Frodo being pointed to Mordor and realizing it was not only my fate, but my duty. (One accreditation, to rule them all!)

So that was that. The following August I finally got around to submitting my application for APR. Then the clock started ticking. Once approved, you have one year to complete your Readiness Review and Exam. I furiously started reviewing and recapping a campaign I did for the SC Bankers Association the previous year and then began pulling together my portfolio. I even baked cookies for my panel of peers. They came in October, a month before my due date, and asked some of the hardest questions I have ever been asked in public relations. I cannot speak more highly of the wonderful colleagues who convened to see if I was ready to advance to the next level. They found me ready, much to my relief. It was now November, and my daughter was born November 17. Joy!

I started my presidency while out on maternity leave. But that was by design. Foolishly, I took all my books home with me thinking maternity leave would afford me with plenty of time to study. Ha! Double Ha - because I was breastfeeding. I had no clue how time consuming this baby business would be! Before I knew it, I was back at work while running the chapter and studying for my exam. I swallowed hard and arranged my exam date for the end of August – my last chance to make it in time! I begged my husband to watch our daughter while I went to the library to cram every Saturday and Sunday. He obliged. I could be found in hidey holes all over Columbia, from the Thomas Cooper Library to the lobby of the Marriott to the local Starbucks… reviewing my flash cards and reading “just one more chapter.”

Then came test day. I arrived at the Prometric testing facility buzzed on coffee and ready to go. (I had scored highly on the practice exam and I thought I was ready to hit it out of the park). I hid some lunch in the locker they provided me so I’d have some fuel to nosh on during the optional 15-minute breaks you could take. I sat down and began. Boy, these questions were hard. They were harder and harder as I plugged along. Beads of sweat developed on my brow. My sandwich got soggy in the locker as I realized I wasn’t going to be able to afford to leave the computer for even a second for fear of not making it through what seemed like thousands of questions. When I finally ended the exam, my heart stopped. It seemed to take the computer F-O-R-E-V-E-R to calculate my score. Then it was there. I passed! I passed! It wouldn’t be official until PRSA could review the score, but I celebrated anyway with a date night with my husband that evening. I was now an APR!!

So that’s it. If I can earn my APR with a breastfeeding infant, while running a statewide chapter while holding down a full-time job, you can do it too. What’s your excuse?

Penny Delaney Cothran, APR is the Vice President, Director of Communications and Editor of Palmetto Banker at the South Carolina Bankers Association in Columbia, SC. Her daughter Evie is a journalist-in-training as she arrived exactly on her due date/deadline – not a minute sooner nor a minute later!