Holy exciting news!
I got a phone call this morning from the executive editor of The Flint Journal. He was calling to schedule an interview with me for a full-time reporter position. This is my first professional interview and I’m excited at the possibility of kicking off my career. I could end up working for the Journal, the Bay City Times or the Saginaw News. The interview itself is in Saginaw, which is about two hours or so away but I’m gladly driving to take my shot.
I’m going to do some studying and research tomorrow to help me feel more confident and relaxed as well as informed. It may also give me a very tiny edge over other possible candidates. In this day and age, I’m battling people with far more experience as the industry has been cutting back so much. I just have to trust in my own capabilities and go all in, win or lose. I think I’m a strong contender for this position, but if someone else proves stronger then I will have gained some valuable interviewing experience and at least know that they were interested and may not be totally out of the running for future positions.
I was so thrilled to be considered for the job. Even though it is entry level and doesn’t pay much, I completely expected that. I still get overtime, which I would imagine reporters are at least occasionally if not frequently getting, along with good benefits and a 401K matching program. They also provide reimbursement for expenses, as usual, and also any technology that may have to come my way in order to do the job. It sounds like a great deal overall and I still wouldn’t be too far from home.
My sister and I went shopping after the call came in. I just discovered that the suit I’ve had for a couple of years no longer fit the bill – as in is now too tight across the chest and back. Does anyone else loathe the process of trying to find clothes that fit well and don’t run up the credit card balance? Sometimes I swear it’s nearly impossible. I ended up finding something that looked good and wasn’t too incredibly expensive, much to my relief. For some reason I just never thought about trying on my old suit before that phone call. Silly me.
Can you tell I’m excited?
I do exist!
It’s been so long since my last post. First off, I apologize to my few regular readers. I have been returning to a normal life after graduating (YAY!) and moving back home (read: mooch off my parents while I still can). I had boxes and laundry baskets full of God knows what crammed into my room for three days while I tried to sort things out. It’s been kind of crazy and I’m sure you understand.
Graduation went really well. The speaker turned out to be Richard Smith, a top dog from Newsweek and someone in my field. Oh, how I wish I could have talked to him instead of immediately being shuffled outside. I would have done pretty much anything (within reason) for a chance to talk with him, even for a few minutes. It also turns out that I graduated summa cum laude and my senior thesis was accepted by the Honors College. It was a GREAT day.
And now I turn to more serious matters. It’s just more bad news bears for the automotive industry as Chrysler declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday morning. When are the automotive people going to get around and come up with a solution that works? Clearly something needs to be done toward alternative fuels in addition to changing operations. I’m sorry, but CEOs need to take a pay-cut too – and a big one at that. Continuing to earn $3 million plus is NOT okay when the average joe is getting his measly salary cut in half. It seems like the economy needs a hero of epic proportions.
But I am also pleasantly surprised that I have been able to apply for several print media positions across the state of Michigan. I wasn’t expected to see the number of open positions as I have seen, albeit not many. My field seems to be just as bad if not worse than the automotive industry in terms of the job market and funding. I haven’t gotten any good news on that front yet, but hopefully someone will see my talent and give me a shot. Lord knows I DO NOT want to keep working at a smoke-filled bar for long. At least I’m able to freelance.
Well, this post has been a huge jumble of thoughts and probably none of it too interesting. But it’s past my bedtime and I’m tired. At least I stayed up to update. Aren’t you glad you have a dedicated blogger to read?
Speaking of declining newspaper readership…
One of the local newspapers around my university recently announced that they will be closing their doors in July. The Ann Arbor News has been in publication since 1835 for goodness sake and it has been forced to close down due to lack of readership, which means a lack of advertisers that fund it. Granted, they will still be publishing online under a new name and have a print component twice a week, but that’s such a huge difference in the way they run. Check out the story.
This makes me even more concerned about my job future. This is the second big newspaper in my area going under. Well, the Detroit Free Press just went down to twice a week publication, but that’s certainly a massive difference as far as how people are going to be getting their daily news. The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado said goodbye in February, a story that was all over the electronic news for about a week or more. How can I not be concerned when newspapers seem to be crumbling left and right?
This makes my research on how to increase print news readership for my college paper even more critical. I don’t want to see it go under like so many other big papers have, even though we are very small. It’s all coming down to a fight for survival, and who knows what the outcome of the battle may be. Obviously, I’m rooting for the survival of newspapers. But they’ve all got some serious work to do to get there, and are basically facing a complete change in everything from design and type of stories to basic operations. God help us!
Babies and controversy
What is it lately with all the baby controversy on television? There’s Nadya Suleman, a single mother who just gave birth to octuplets even though she already has six other children (3 of which have developmental issues). And of course there’s Alfie Patten from London, who recently became a father at the crazy young age of 13. A quick entry into Google can tell you everything you could possibly want to know about both of these stories.
I think people are so shocked at the conditions surrounding the births, that they are almost forgetting about the babies. They didn’t have a say in all of this and are forced to be at the center of it all. In the case of the octuplets, their position seems the most unstable. They will have all the complications of being super premies in addition to being children numbers seven to 14 in an already very stressed family. These kids are going to need the best support system this world has ever known.
Little Maisie, the daughter of Alfie, does have a great support system. But she’s going to grow up knowing that her birth was a nation-wide sensation. And the other kids are not going to let her forget about it. If British society is anything like that in the good old USA, that little girl is in for a rough childhood.
I think that the media needs to focus more on the children and how they can be helped. Sure, the stories are huge. But they’re out now, so it’s time to look at what’s really important for those tiny lives that are at stake. Yes, it’s controversial. Yes, people will be curious as all get out and desperate for more information. But that’s no longer what’s most important. It’s time to think about the kids.
