Emily in Paris: My Dream PR Life
Croissants, runways, champagne showers, and dream closets. Emily in Paris is a popular Netflix show that documents the life of Emily in, you guessed it, Paris. Working in a marketing firm in the city of love sounds like all kinds of magic. Being so closely connected to public relations, this dream life is not too far out of reach for Grand Valley State University’s PR students. The luxury field of marketing is one that excites most, if not all, young professionals. Big budgets, extravagant launch events, and over-the-top thank-you gifts are quite enticing. The good news is that there are many opportunities to become *insert name here* in Paris. Here’s what you can do to make this dream a reality.
How Real is This Made-Up Life?
Before learning how to make this dream a reality, let’s take a look at how realistic Emily in Paris truly is. My first thought after (binge) watching the show was, “How much money does she make?”Looking at her outfits, apartment, and lavish daily outings, it seemed clear that she makes loads of money. However, an article quotes that an average Pariasan Marketing Executive’s salary is €35,800, which translates to a mere $38,432. Her extravagant lifestyle does not seem to be up to par with her estimated wage, but with a little less spending and a lot more saving, we too could visit a vine-filled coffee house on the streets of Paris to sip on an expensive latte.
Living the Dream
Even though you may be eager to indulge in Emily’s lifestyle, we have some time before we can live out those fantasies. In the show’s second season, it is revealed that Emily is 29 years old. That gives us about eight years to build our skills and connections to plan… let’s say…a champagne launch party in a field of lavender. Emily’s success is coined by her connections. Her online presence and fabulous relationship with her boss landed her famous role in Paris. The good news? Lakers connect every day. From class to extracurricular activities, there are tons of opportunities to grow our networks on and off campus. We can and should use these relationships and knowledge learned from them to get our dream jobs - even if you aren’t envisioning working for a luxury marketing firm.
Lucky Us
Speaking of ways to use campus resources to live out your Emily in Paris dreams, Grand Valley is one of many universities that offers a plethora of study-abroad opportunities including, you guessed it again… Paris, France. One trip involves attending the ESSCA business school. This four-week program in the city offers courses in marketing, management, strategy, digital culture, French language, and culture. With no language prerequisite and a 2.5 GPA requirement, this opportunity can be seized by many. In addition, GVSU offers a study abroad opportunity to visit a few famous cities in France, immerse yourself in the culture, and explore historical sites. It is a necessity to speak French for this trip, and you must have a 2.7 GPA to attend. Six weeks full of history and beauty would prepare you for the cultural adjustment that will happen when we achieve our “Emily-style” lives. Lastly, the Paris EUSA internship may be the closest thing to truly embodying Emily in Paris. Placements are available for many majors as there is a chance to work in French businesses, galleries, publishing houses, museums, and more. These internships are 35 hours a week for nine weeks. Who knows, maybe your office view could be the Eiffel Tower.
Where Manifestation meets Hard-Work
Although the application process has closed for these opportunities, they do re-occur each year, giving you plenty of time between now and next spring to fill your closet with bright-colored blazers and work on that French accent. An affluent, savvy, and fashion-forward boss offering projects on small-batch perfume may not be in all of our futures. But manifestations and hard-work may just get us there.
Claire Spitz is a junior pursing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations with an emphasis in PR. This is Claire's first semester in GrandPR and second semester in PRSSA serving on the promotions committee. She will taking on the role of Account Associate was an emphasis in Design. Claire is passionate about Public Relations, specifically in social media management and content creation. She has previous experience in running her sorority's social media here at GVSU for Phi Mu and will be managing the Panhellenic social media for the year of 2023.