Remember the pivotal scene in Back to the Future II when Marty McFly travels back (or forward?) to 1985, only to find that it’s totally screwed up because he messed with his parents’ past?

He’s completely disoriented.

He has no idea how the house he grew up in, the neighborhood he skateboarded around, and the small town he loved had become so… different and confusing.

I had a very similar experience when returning to the public relations agency world about six months ago after a six-year hiatus.

Minus the DeLorean, unfortunately.

When I had my daughter in 2006, I decided to leave agency life and work for a non-profit organization with more flexibility so I could spend more time with my munchkin.

I wasn’t directly involved with marketing or public relations in my new role per se; I worked in more grassroots-type recruitment. Little did I know, in the six years I spent in my non-profit bubble, the world of public relations was completely evolving. No one even had the decency to give me a heads up! (more…)