I’m just a couple days away from my big journey to Las Vegas. And no, I don’t wish to be seduced by the glitz and glam known as Sin City. I’m going there to find a job.
About two years ago, I journeyed to the UNITY journalism convention in Chicago. It was an incredible adventure, where fellow K-Staters—and about 10,000 other journalists—collaborated for an intense weeklong supersession about diversity in media.
From trips to local TV stations to the Chicago Tribune and everything else in between, I learned a lot about what this industry has to offer. And it was then that I decided to take every opportunity to learn what I can to get ahead in the business.
Since then, I’ve come a long way. I started out in television as a one-man-band reporter. And through my second job—and intense desire to learn everything—I’ve added a lot to my resume:
• News/marketing/promotions producer
• Super fast video editor
• Web designer (I own a few Web sites. And I’ve designed sites for clients.)
• Ad designer
• Entertainment blogger
• Copy editor (I edit work for a few companies overseas, among others.)
• Print photographer
And this brings me to Nevada.
In a few days, I will be at the RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) journalism convention. It’s a melting pot for journalists looking for jobs, obtaining new skills and networking—all that will enable me to move to that next leg in my journey: the job search.
I’ve been very lucky in this business. I landed my first full-time TV reporting job while in college. Then, I quickly moved to our sister station in a much larger TV market, Wichita, Kan.
While I’ve enjoyed experiences through both newsrooms, my truest desire is to return to reporting. It combines my skills and passion. It’s what I love. Nothing can change that.
Maybe this convention can help.
Maybe I’ll meet a news director looking to hire a smart, fresh reporter.
Or maybe I’ll acquire a new set of skills that’ll set me above the rest.
I’m not sure what I’ll walk away with from this convention.
But I know it’s the step I need to return to what I love most.