Ahh March.
You're my favorite month of the year. It's within your few brief weeks that I celebrate my birthday, watch as winter turns to spring, as Lent leads to Easter and as the clocks spring forward.
It's a month of beginnings and youth.
And, as longtime readers of this blog know, March is the month when my earnings take a tumble as I trade billable days for time spent with college kids.
Every year at about this time I find myself visiting campuses, attending college media conventions, etc. It's become a tradition for me. And, like many traditions, I find it both comforting and frustrating.
That's because as much as I love meeting journalism students, the majority of them turn out to be remarkably unprepared for the working world. So by the time April rolls around and I've met a whole new crop of rookies, I tend to be a bit worried about the future of the business.
I'll start my annual trek through academia at the College Media Advisers convention here in New York, where I'll join Dan Blank, director of content strategy and development for Reed Business Information, to co-host a session on "Surviving in a New Media World."
And I'll be using my time at CMA to try to fill at least four entry-level jobs for clients.
So if you're looking for work, get there early while I'm still feeling optimistic.
(If you're new to this blog, you may want to look at my post about last year's academic tour. Or read my four-part series from 2008. If you're wondering what I look for in a journalism recruit, read this post from 2007 called Three Job Tips for Students. )
I wish I could be at the CMA's! They need something like that for young professionals.
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI wish you could be there as well.
I'll send your regrets to the crew from NW Missouri State. There's always a large turnout from there.
Paul
This is kind of off topic and hopefully not a bad question...are there any sites, books, forums, and etc. that you would reccomend that discuss the tention between print vs. web and good communication strategies? I need a little help finding some quality reading. I work in an environment that is heavy with old fashioned agricultural/editorial individuals. I'm having a hard time coming down to thier level and want to be able to communicate better. I'm sure you realize how defensive and frustrated people get when they don't understand something like the web. It would be nice to have some credible information on how to diffuse a customer or management from feeling overwhelmed and threatened. Does anything come to mind?
ReplyDelete