What am I?
I had to categorize myself on a form today. The closest applicable title was 'journalist'. Is that appropriate? Am I a journalist? What are the criteria in these days of multi-media internet fabulousness?
While thinking about my impending move to be closer to work I found myself wishing that I could gaze into a crystal ball and see what my (career) future might be. Care to offer up a opinion Steve? I am grateful that you had the confidence to hire me and sometimes wonder if you glimpse something in me that I do not yet see in myself. ..raw talent that needs honing...stuff like that....
SAFRAN: The first (and often only) answer I give to the "What's your job?" question is "I am a journalist." To me, it's the only title that matters. The rest of our titles are ones that few civilians would understand anyway. If I am known as a journalist for the rest of my life, I will be very proud of that.
Of course you have the raw talent. You can improve your writing. That's not a personal critique, per se - we can all improve our writing. I'm convinced I am a B/B+ writer right now, and I want to get the A.
Chill a bit. I think you're looking for too much, too fast. Work the ugly hours, come in as much as you can (even when you don't want to) and make yourself indispensible. I know you'll hate to hear it - but you're young, you're just starting, and there is an awful lot to learn. You can't expect to do it all at once. 15 years in, and I only now feel like I have a grip on the thing - but certainly not perfection. Your news judgement will forever be honed. Your style, your confidence - it never stops. My only advice is one word: LEARN. If there is ever a day where you think you're not learning, do something about it. Bother me, or another manager, or even take it upon yourself. You can't stop learning.
I'm reading books on management style, something I never thought I'd do. To me, management style consists of saying "Do this until it's finished, then go home." Obviously, that's not all that useful. Friendly, perhaps, but not useful to anyone hoping to learn from me or surpass my knowledge. If you ain't learnin', you ain't at the right place. The first question I ask myself in job interviews is "What can these people teach me?" If the answer is "Not much," I don't bother with the rest.
While thinking about my impending move to be closer to work I found myself wishing that I could gaze into a crystal ball and see what my (career) future might be. Care to offer up a opinion Steve? I am grateful that you had the confidence to hire me and sometimes wonder if you glimpse something in me that I do not yet see in myself. ..raw talent that needs honing...stuff like that....
SAFRAN: The first (and often only) answer I give to the "What's your job?" question is "I am a journalist." To me, it's the only title that matters. The rest of our titles are ones that few civilians would understand anyway. If I am known as a journalist for the rest of my life, I will be very proud of that.
Of course you have the raw talent. You can improve your writing. That's not a personal critique, per se - we can all improve our writing. I'm convinced I am a B/B+ writer right now, and I want to get the A.
Chill a bit. I think you're looking for too much, too fast. Work the ugly hours, come in as much as you can (even when you don't want to) and make yourself indispensible. I know you'll hate to hear it - but you're young, you're just starting, and there is an awful lot to learn. You can't expect to do it all at once. 15 years in, and I only now feel like I have a grip on the thing - but certainly not perfection. Your news judgement will forever be honed. Your style, your confidence - it never stops. My only advice is one word: LEARN. If there is ever a day where you think you're not learning, do something about it. Bother me, or another manager, or even take it upon yourself. You can't stop learning.
I'm reading books on management style, something I never thought I'd do. To me, management style consists of saying "Do this until it's finished, then go home." Obviously, that's not all that useful. Friendly, perhaps, but not useful to anyone hoping to learn from me or surpass my knowledge. If you ain't learnin', you ain't at the right place. The first question I ask myself in job interviews is "What can these people teach me?" If the answer is "Not much," I don't bother with the rest.
posted by Lyss at 4:10 PM
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