College Media Adviser's Conference

I spent this past weekend in Manhattan. There was a "College Media Adviser's Conference" that a group of us who worked on the campus newspaper went to. There were seven of us from The Crusader crammed into a mini-van for 12 hours to get to this conference. It's a good thing that it was smack dab in the middle of Times Square, because I'm not sure I would have endured that car ride for much less.

It was my first time in New York City and I warned everyone that I was going to be "that girl." Walking around wide-eyed, mouth hanging open, taking pictures of things like pigeons, steaming sewer grates, and homeless people. When we arrived I was able to restrain myself and keep my obnoxious picture-taking to a minimum. I tried to remember not to let my mouth hang open in awe.



The conference was simultaneously helpful and disheartening. Professional journalism is a tough market, even if the economy were at its best. We heard countless stories of lengthy job searches and less-than-ideal living conditions. Internship after internship until finally you connect with the right people and are able to get a real job, even if you're a glorified secretary for a while.

I was encouraged to hear that the job search wouldn't last forever, and that many of these recent college graduates came from tiny little towns just like mine all across the U.S. I understand that we have to be willing to invest in ourselves and in our future, but the idea of an unpaid internship frightens me. I haven't exactly done the research, but rent in New York City isn't cheap. And I have grown rather fond of lunch and dinner. While we're investing in our futures, how exactly are we supposed to survive?



Over the summer, I plan to take steps toward my new life goal: working at a literary magazine. I have always admired The New Yorker and The Paris Review, however, I had never considered these publications as possible career options until this conference. My goal for the next couple years (provided my husband gets into graduate school...) is to work, save money, and freelance my ass off. I may be lacking in the area of internships (I currently have zero under my belt) but I can make up for that in publication credits--I hope.

If Edward does not get into grad school, then we'll have to come up with some sort of plan B. Though, I think we're on plan E or F by now... I suppose this conundrum is one that I will have to deal with later. The rest of my spring break will be spent catching up on homework and maybe starting Revolutionary Road. I decided that this book, plus a collection of mindless magazines, will be my summer reading material.