My Future

I feel like I’m finally getting into the swing of this semester. For some reason I have a hard time getting the ball rolling in the fall. Maybe it’s because the days get shorter, and colder, I’m not really sure. Anyhow, I had a good week, writing wise. I wrote two in depth stories for two publications that I’ve signed up for this semester. My stories aren’t out there yet but they will be soon and I’m excited about that. It’s been awhile since I’ve had anything published. One story is about poverty in South Tucson, which has gotten much worse in the past couple of years. The story will be published in El Independiente, a University of Arizona student-run paper. Our circulation is about 2,000 so it’s very small but it’s still nice to have words out there in the world. The other story I wrote is about a murder trial coming up in Tucson. That’s going to be published online sometime next week and hopefully some papers around Arizona will pick it up. The site it’s being published on is a free wire service started by a professor at the School of Journalism. I actually finished all my requirements for my journalism major last summer and I have a pretty solid resume with internships but I decided to push my self and take 9 more journalism credits this semester. With graduation approaching I want to have as much experience as I possibly can. With papers closing, the industry is very competitive right now and I need to set my self apart from the pack. Many of my peers are considering getting a master’s degree in something else because the industry seems so grim but I’m confident that it must survive. Although the industry is most defiantly changing, there will always be the need for information. It likely won’t come in the form of a paper after half a decade or so, but people still need journalists who are trained to provide quality information. One of my professors encouraged me to stay in school one more semester and apply for a fellowship for the spring. I would move to Phoenix and cover the state legislature. I would be given a stipend of $4,000 and my “tuition” would be covered. I would also get 12 units of political science credit, which doesn’t really matter for me because I already have more than 120 credits. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. I feel that if I apply I’ll get it and then be obligated. On one hand it would be a great experience and it would completely solidify my resume. On the other hand, it would be one more semester as a student and I’m not getting any younger. Often I feel bad about myself for still being in school at age 25. Part of my wants to enter the job force in December but I know this would be something very good for me. It would mean moving to Phoenix though, and I loath Phoenix. It’s too spread out and it’s a soulless graveyard made up of stucco buildings, billboards and speed cameras. If this is something I decide to do, I’ll need to find an apartment up there within biking or walking distance of the capitol because driving in Phoenix drives me insane. Time will tell I guess. Speaking of jobs, our school has an internship fair coming up next semester. I think I’ll go to try and find a job to keep my options open. Most journalism graduates I know have had to take on an internship after college in order to get their foot in the door at a publication. I’m getting to the point where I could really use a change of scenery though and I’ve lived in Arizona my entire life. Part of me what’s to move to a different state and start anew. Hell, some of my considers moving to Prague or Paris teach English to non-English speakers. It wouldn’t be so bad to bum around Europe for a couple of years. Plus, I think that looks pretty great on a resume. If I were in charge of hiring people and I had an applicant who had traveled in addition to professional experience, I’d pick him or her over the others. Another opportunity I’m considering, that also happens to be in Phoenix unfortinitly, is a fellowship at the Arizona Republic next summer. If I decide to cover the legislator in the spring, this would be a perfect thing to do after. It’s a very large paper and I’ve heard from other that it’s a great internship. It’s also somewhat prestigious so it would be a great resume booster. If I got both of those up in Phoenix I know I could land a job in journalism next fall. However, like I wrote about earlier, it would mean living up in that hell hole called Phoenix. Ah, the uncertainty that comes with graduation. Gotta love it. I am realizing however that I need to stop thinking about what to do and starting making the steps to the options I’m considering. It never hurts to have too many opportunities and if I wait around too much longer it’s going to be too late for some of them. I’m going to spend this next weekend getting my ducks in a row, updating my resumes and at least printing out some applications. Speaking of applications, the New York Time, the best paper in the country in my opinion, is going to hold a nation workshop here for students in the winter. I’ve been encouraged by two professors to apply and I think I’ll get it if I do. I think I’ll print out some of those applications now…