It’s like an icy cold glass of water on a sweltering summer day, the soothing feeling that washes over you as you gulp down the liquid, your dry scratchy throat instantly assuaged.
That’s how it feels to back at KOMU, with the exception of a dry scratchy throat beforehand (and I suppose ironic now that summer is over too). Walking back into the newsroom on Saturday after a summer full of invaluable journalistic experiences, I encountered a cool wave of relief and happiness. I felt like I was finally home again.*
One year ago began my quest at KOMU working assignment desk, a job now combined with web. I remember stepping into the newsroom weeks before I started there, the excitement bubbling inside. But as soon as I entered the station for my first shift, a rush of nervousness quickly displaced the excitement. How do you use iNews? What's Avid? Where do I transfer calls to? Are the police ever going to tell me anything on the beat calls? What equipment do I need to make sure is in the camera cases? I had no clue what I was doing. Luckily I ran into another desk worker who understood first day jitters and who went over the basics of what needed to be done.
This was probably the first thing I ever learned about journalism in the newsroom. If you don’t understand something you just have to get out there and learn yourself. Or ask someone else for help. You’re going to make mistakes, but you learn from them and don’t make them again. And in the end success is entirely dependent on the initiative you’re willing to take… with just a little bit of luck.
It’s crazy to think how far I’ve come in one year and I can only imagine what this year will bring. I’m finally starting classes in the journalism school and will hopefully be reporting for KOMU by next semester.
So I’m taking in. I’m not going to take a single moment for granted. I’m going to appreciate the long hours, the feisty people I come across, the fight with failing technology, and take advantage of every opportunity possible. I’m going to look past the feelings of doubt that I presume every journalist faces at one time or another. The feelings of not being good enough or that the job isn’t quite right for them.
And after going through that, who knows where I’ll be in another year. Only time can tell.
In the end my only hope is the feeling of a cold glass of water on a blazing hot summer day sticks with me. That every time I walk into the newsroom I feel relief, happiness and the sense that I’m at home once again.
…Bring it on junior year!
*This is not to say I never felt at home with my internships this summer, in fact both of them I felt treated me like I was on staff, but it’s just a different feeling walking into a place like KOMU where you have a specific job you need to get done and you’re not constantly asking questions about how to do it.
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