20: Living the best life I can

 I have been transitioning into my new position as the Clarion Advisor/Journalism faculty at a community college. My last day as an employee with Big Media was Dec. 31, and I will now be a freelancer.

Honestly, I thought this transition would be more difficult, but I have not had any issues going from one job to the other. I thought I would be upset about leaving the media and breaking news. While I know I will miss the news, I feel excited to move on to the next chapter.

Recently a friend said I wouldn’t be able to leave the media. And I take that as a compliment. Of course, I want to hold on a little bit longer. Of course, I want to be part of the chaos that unfolds during breaking news.

However, after 1 week away from it all, I don’t feel that I have missed much. I watch the news in the AM, subscribe to the paper and get numerous push alerts about stories. I say stories humbly. The push alerts are driving me crazy. There are so many!

 >>>>JANUARY SHOWS: Guess who is telling jokes this month in different states?

But I read them all. And why? I am now a journalism professor. I have been so good at working in the media because I was in the thick of it. And, my impeccable news judgement, design technique and writing skills.

This position is pretty much my dream job. The fact that I got it still bewilders me. The job took all the things I am good at and smooshed them into one job. Pretty lucky. However, I have been working 12-hour days working in the media and teaching for 10 years. Lately I have only had Saturdays off work completely.

I worry that I might get rusty since I am not directly working in the newsroom. However, I have enough experience (15 years) to be able to guide students. I have worked at the shittiest of the shit newspapers. Not in the quality, just the corporate higher-ups. No matter how small the paper, most people I have worked with give it their all no matter the pay.

>>>>BLOG: Sing me a song about Jess

My experience at the teeniest of newspapers and recently the biggest of TV stations has made me a multi-faceted journalist with experience and storytelling skills that journalism students should hear. Mainly because they might not hear these stories much longer.

I recently read an article that claimed people born from 1978-1982 are part of a special group of people when it comes to technology. People born in those years are an equlict group that knows what life is like without and with computers.

It makes sense. I remember the tan giant cable box. I would stroll up to it in my walker, change the channel and run off. I received a few spankings for that. But seriously, it was funny. Jokes trump being obedient.

I remember typing a paper in 6th grade on a computer that weighed about 50 pounds with an 8-inch screen and required floppy disks. FLOPPY DISKS. If you don’t remember floppy disks, then you don’t understand not a damn thing about Oregon Trail.

>>>>BLOG: Why I won’t be upset about not working in the media

In summary, I went off on a tangent with this blog. However, doesn’t that make some of the greatest blogs? Most probably don’t know because blogs are so outdated and passé. Why even bother?