There are many other jobs that are much more challenging—the military, medicine, education, etc.—than working in PR, but let’s have a little fun with this list (lest it be depressing for those starting their career in the industry).

Here are the top 10 reasons why being a PR pro is one of the toughest jobs you could have:

10. Demanding clients. They always want more results.

9. Demanding bosses. See above.

8. Meetings, conference calls, meetings, conference calls. Every day is filled with these. How can work ever get done?

7. Time management difficulties. No matter how many clients you may have, the work has to get done.

6. Getting the raise you want is no easy feat. The economy aside, it’s tough enough showcasing the value in the results we achieve for clients, so how do we go about doing it for ourselves during yearly reviews?

5. New tools keep appearing. There is a constant need to stay on top of the newest resources that are available and a need to be prepared to offer counsel on them.

4. Nothing is harder than securing a top-tier media interview. Even when we send well-timed, appropriate pitches, reporters are still annoyed by all of the emails and calls they receive.

3. Nothing is harder than securing an interview, regardless of outlet. There are fewer media outlets and reporters than ever before.

2. You’re always on-call. There’s no traditional work schedule. Check any PR pro’s email inbox and you’ll be sure to find conversations happening at the most random of times.

And the number one reason why being a PR pro is one of the toughest jobs you could have …

To borrow a line from Rodney Dangerfield: Hey, we get no respect. Whether it’s battling for more budget from clients or defending ourselves against the actions of unethical agencies and PR pros, we always have an uphill battle against others.

Andrew Worob is digital communications manager at Finn Partners/Ruder Finn. He blogs at PR at Sunrise, where a version of this story appeared.

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