Non-Wisdom
With graduation in exactly a month, I’d be lying to say I haven’t been obsessing about my lack of plans post-college. I am waiting to hear from a couple things I applied for, but the outcomes aren’t really what I’m worried about. The problem is much more deep-set. Regardless of the program, job, or title, and whether I ultimately accept or reject, I don’t know if any of it is what I want. Our greatest challenge is knowing thyself. So, what is it?
An email from a classmate who’s currently at Harvard Law posed the question: How did you get involved with journalism?
“I am seriously thinking of doing something besides law school—feeling like it’s time to hit the open road, see the sights, do the Hunter S. Thompson thing, you know. I know this sounds like a vague and open-ended question, but I’m not quite sure what I’m asking myself.”
Those words resonated. A certain amont of floating uncertainty never ceases to attract my attention.
I’m going to share some of my response to Ed (let’s call him that). Maybe it will benefit others.
Hi *Ed,
Sorry for the delayed response. Senior year breeds a little thing called senioritis and it plagues many aspects of life, including my inbox.
It’s funny you ask how I got involved with journalism. I’ve been so intent on becoming a reporter/tv anchorwoman for years that when it’s finally time to hit the road running with this career thing, I don’t quite feel it anymore. Timing is always wonderful.
But how I got my start: I’ve been involved with journalism/digital media/reporting since freshman year of college when I decided to major in Telecommunication- News (broadcast journalism). Through that program, I was able to work at the on campus TV and radio station. It was great experience. I worked both behind the scenes and in front of the camera- reporting, writing, and producing. There’s nothing better than working in a newsroom to teach you quickly the bare essentials for news. The same goes for all mediums: print, tv, radio, digital. I don’t have a lot of experience in print, though I’ve written some pieces for abcnews.com (my current gig).
If you want to become a news hound, it really boils down to one thing: experience. It’s good that you have some experience with the Alligator and Fine Print already, but build more. The best thing to do is ask some newspapers or digital media outlets (Huffington Post, Chronicle of Philanthropy etc) if you can shadow or even intern. It’s something to enhance your portfolio and give you some raw experience. Grad school and more education means very little to employers. At the end of the day, it’s all about what you can write and how quickly you can turn a story.
This advice is specifically if you want to enter news. Prosaic novel writing is a whole other ball game, something which I am looking more towards now. It’s slower and not quite as deadline-oriented (unless you consider a lifetime a deadline).
If I can share any more non-wisdom, let me know. We’ll see each other when we see each other.
Best,
Lynne
