By Peter Faur

I've left a few jobs over the years, always for what I saw as better opportunities. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, but I've never regretted leaving to try something new.

Often, as I was packing my belongings to move to the next assignment, a fellow worker would offer the observation that now, I was headed for "the real world." The implication was that our common employer was so hidebound or backward that it was out of touch. Also buried in the comment was the notion that somehow, we were being held back from doing our best work and achieving our best results.

I suppose my leaving lent support to the idea, but I never had much use for it. My employer must have been doing something right to succeed. It was at least holding its own in the real world. When I left, it was for greater responsibility or more pay and benefits. (Here's a tip: The one time I left only for more pay and benefits turned out to be a disaster. The temptation is strong, but if nothing else of substance is in place, resist it.) 

I've always believed that wherever I work, I'm in the real world, and I'm there to help my employer succeed. If I have some insights that might help the employer engage more effectively, I should share them, especially as a public relations practitioner.

The job of public relations is twofold. We help employers and clients engage and communicate more effectively. But even more, we help them understand the environment in which their words and actions will be received. In short, we help them understand the real world. (And the truth is, good clients and employers have taught me far more about the real world than I've taught them.)

If you believe you're being held back by your employer from engaging effectively in "the real world," it might be true. It might also be true, however, that you're creating an excuse for yourself. If you focus on finding ways to help your employer succeed, and offer your ideas in the right spirit, you just might find yourself in the real world after all.

Grammar tip: The phrase "in regard to" is often incorrectly written as "in regards to." The phrase "as regards" is correct, however, and means the same thing.