Is there any way to avoid a preps gig as your first job?

Last line had me thinking ...

 

In a Fresh Prince threadjack, he's dead.

The special cab? Takes him to heaven.
The Bel Air family he lives with? Also dead.
His parents, when they come to visit? Actually visiting his grave.

The sound you hear is your mind being blown.

 

So they all dance like Carlton in heaven? Count me out!

 

Yes, but it's like being among the wealthy in this country. You know, the top 1 percent own 90 percent of everything and the other 99 percent own the 10 percent that's left. Well, if you're in that top 1 percent, sure, you can bypass straight to a college or pro beat.

Realistically, though, if you're on here asking, then you belong in preps. Earn your stripes like the rest of us pal.

I just love this "I want it now" me generation coming up. God help us when I'm in retirement and they're running the world.

 

In seriousness:

1. The business has changed so much in the last 15 years. The traditional preps/small college/big college/pros/takeout writer/columnist path doesn't exist anymore. Maybe in some places it does, but if you start out covering preps for a weekly, I'm not sure you're going to climb any kind of traditional ladder.

2. That said, I see so much awful longform (or schlongform or whatever you want to call it) written by people who seriously could have benefitted from writing daily 10-inch gamers and weekly 15-inch features for two years. There really isn't a substitute for the discipline preps instills in you as a writer. You certainly don't get it from writing 5,000-word Songs of Myself for websites desperate for longform. But again, the traditional path doesn't exist anymore, and I totally understand when you kids are like "Save it, Grampa. It's way different than when you started."

Wherever you start, if you want to be good, learn to write with discipline and clarity. Learn that it's not about you. You might catch a small wave once or twice writing about yourself, but eventually that gets boring. Respect people's stories. Everyone has one, and there is an interesting story in almost ever assignment. How interesting the story will be certainly varies. But it's hardly ALL boring. Sometimes you have to write 10 boilerplate high school features in exchange for earning the trust of an editor to let you attempt one great one. Not every story is something for your clips. But when you find the right one you feel is worth a big swing, there will be an editor who have the patience and trust if you've proved you can handle the small bullshit.

 

I've worked maybe two or three days in news only to help out in 20+ years ... yet I've covered so many damn crime stories from rape to theft to assault/battery to counterfeiting, along with financial budget stories, hirings, firings, and health-related pieces that I'd kick most news reporters' ass on these subjects. Yet I'm not good enough to work for you.

Being close-minded about sports writers isn't a very good attribute.

 

End of thread. As is often the case, DD nailed it. GA, you'd do well to follow this advice, if the boilerplate stories aren't beneath you, of course.

 

Wait a minute.

Wouldn't that resume put you in Jay's camp of candidates who "have covered at least some news"?

 

I wouldn't call two news stories really being experienced in news. One was a car wreck fatality and the other was a summer concert. If that's all it takes, then his statement is pretty wishy-washy.

 

I mean the kind of stories you've covered in sports.

 

My preferred job applicant would have spent some time on a news beat. Working sources and getting used to the rhythm of news coverage.

So that could be, "my first fulltime job was as an education writer before moving to sports" or it could be as little as, "my first job was covering preps. but when summer hit, I worked as as GA in news to cover summer vacations."

I also wouldn't consider an applicant whose experience was in sports and features. I just think a reporter needs some news in their background.

Lots of sports writers put a great amount of value into being able to write a gamer on deadline. I don't. There's a pretty good chance your paper doesn't put much value on it either as lots of places rely on freelancers and stringers for things like, well, prep game coverage.