Eureka!
Okay, so I have been committed to the idea of being a journalist for YEARS. I had my plan set, have known where I want to get to and how I plan on getting there and have been more than willing to put in the time to make it happen.
But recently, I have come to the realization that I was not passionate about journalism. It was a goal, something that fit, and being the driven person that I am, it wasn’t inherently obvious that journalism wasn’t something that consumed me.
Well… things have changed. Journalism is now something that I speak about in alternatingly excited and reverent tones. I can spend hours obessively searching for articles being published on the industry, combing through the blogosphere to see what established journalists and up-and-comings such as myself are saying. I haven’t been this exhilarated about anything in a good long while, and it feels great.
What prompted this change in me? I can’t pinpoint one specific thing, but I know that a lot of the gears started moving while I was in D.C. Up until that point, my goal of covering national politics was sort of vague, undefined and surreal. Then I was there, surrounded by people who were truly passionate about both journalism and politics. And I think they inspired me a bit.
My knowledge of the industry grew by leaps and bounds when that happened as well. Going into my internship at GalleryWatch, I was a bit on the fence about working for an online publication–would it be credible enough to get me a job at a paper? Now I realize that the future of journalism is online, that having blogging and Web design experience is a definite plus in a shaky job market.
This afternoon was spent absorbed in the world of journalism blogs, networking Web sites for journalists, and online journalism resource Web sites. I’ve started planning out a completely new design for my personal Web site, with a more informed idea on how to present myself. And I almost cannot wait to get back to Albion and present some of my ideas for The Pleiad to my fellow editors.
There is so much potential, and now that I see it, I want to see it utilized.