![]() ![]() I was 17 years old, working my very first job as a cashier at (you guessed it) a convenience store. That’s what I was given for self-defense when a string of robberies terrorized several late night convenience stores in the area. If you’re adaptable and can wear more than one money-making hat, there’s a better chance you’ll be the one who gets to stay.A 2’ length of pipe. We’re living in a digital world and you need to equip yourself with the skills necessary to fit into a successful digital news and information revenue model. In my field, not only do you need to be a competent writer, researcher and editor, you also need to be an expert in multimedia, video editing, audience engagement, social media, project management, data journalism. Once you land your big break, you’re going to want to do everything in your power to stay. It’s not enough to be a singularly talented person. Our world is changing and you need to be able to adapt on the fly. Always be one step ahead so that when you manage to wedge your foot into the door, you have enough experience, knowledge and practice under your belt to barge through. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity and sitting at home wishing for it isn’t enough. Stop waiting for something good to happen to you. The truth is, the bigger your dreams get, the harder you’re going to have to work for them. As I continue to try and grow my career, it sometimes seems as though my luck has run out. Things always seemed to have a way of working out. I’ve always considered myself to be fairly lucky. You have to separate yourself from the crowd by being the most easy-to-work-with, innovative, creative, dependable, resilient and driven force of nature out there. In reality it was those hours of hard work I put in away from the microphone that created the illusion of a natural-born broadcaster. So yeah, I guess you could say after all that I had a new “talent”. #Momma didn t raise no quitter how to#I even practiced how to recover from making those inevitable on-air mistakes. I was nervous and I made mistakes, but you better believe I went home at the end of the day and practiced. When I got called up to anchor the news for the first time I had no idea what I was doing. Let’s focus on the phrase “work ethic” instead. Some day you’ll get that “yes” you’ve been waiting for and all your fears and self-doubt will magically disappear. ![]() Giving up is the easiest thing in the world to do. You’re going to be shutdown more often than not. The truth is, for every “yes” I got, there were about 20 “no’s” behind it. I even entertained the idea of starting my own business. I would spend hours online searching for unique and exciting opportunities and sending out countless resumes. The truth is, I worked my ass off to get every single one of those jobs. You’re so lucky.” I would laugh and shrug my shoulders. My friends would always say things like “Wow, Jen! You always get the coolest jobs. When you finally make it out of the woods your success will be even sweeter. Don’t be afraid to stray off the beaten path. Of course there are some similarities, but the best stories are those riddled with failure, setbacks and doubt. There are so many incredible people I look up to in this industry and I love hearing stories about how they finally “made it”. When negative thoughts come flooding into your head - and they will- take a deep breath and focus on the reasons why you started this journey in the first place. There will be times when you question yourself and everything you’ve been working towards. I’m realizing the shortest distance between you and your goals is not always a straight line. I used to think if I did A+B it would lead me to C. But I’m willing to work for it.ĭon’t worry about the road less traveled. Is it wise to choose a career path in an industry with a projected growth outlook of -13% by 2022? Maybe not. I hope?), I’ve decided to pursue a career in media. Now that I’m a mature, responsible adult (I think. I’m glad I got that out of the way early on. Eventually most of us gravitated towards more realistic career goals based on a combination of life experience and maturity. Some wanted to be actors, hockey players or fighter pilots. As kids we all had those lofty dreams of what we wanted to be when we “grow up.” Some kids wanted to be astronauts. ![]()
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