Need advice on my college gig

You can get writing experience elsewhere if you aspire to get into the business as a reporter. But if you have your heart set on layout/design and perhaps some project management, you need to stick with the college paper. Can you dish your writing responsibilities off on someone else to reduce your load?

 

Grades are overrated. Seriously. Just do well enough to get your degree. Once you get to the real world, nobody gives a crap about your GPA.*

They do care about your clips, and your journalism experience. If I have to put anything on the backburner -- and yes, that even includes my social life -- it's grades.

How's that for a PSA?

* -- If you are planning to go into journalism, I mean. If you have plans to enter med school or law school at any point, I'd put down the can of Natty Light and study for that mid-term.

 

I Agree. Well said.

 

You should absolutely cut back on the school paper. You only are in college once. I worked my tail off throughout school, got some great opportunities along the way, had great experiences but the best decision I ever made was taking 7 hours my last quarter in school. As long as you've put in the work up to now, go ahead and relax in your final semester.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority. When I was in school, I was able to balance being the head of three media organizations and have a social life. It's extremely challenging and takes a lot of time management, but doing that and having a social life is possible. I sacrificed a lot of sleep and did my homework during a work-study job. At the time, I didn't know which field I was going to choose, so giving anything up wasn't an option. I wanted all the experience I could get, because that's what college was about for me -- preparing me for the next step -- my career and my life.

I was probably busier than most of the students at my school, but I don't regret one thing from college.

In the end, it's what's more important for you. Most editors, in my opinion, won't hold you taking it easy for the last semester against you. But sticking it out will not hurt you in your career. Do what feels right.

 

The old, fat man says no one's gonna care if you didn't work the final semester.

Get a little breathe-time in.

 

When I was in school, the paper WAS my social life. That's where all my friends were. That's where I wanted to be.

 

See, I like the people I work with, but I have friends outside the paper, y'know? That's where the majority of my social network is, and I'd like to spend as much time as possible with them before I leave for the real world in May.

Plus, this job is completely killing my fun drive. I don't care if that makes me a pussy, I'm in college and I want to booze on the weekends and on the occasional weekday. When am I going to get to do that again?

I'm thinking maybe eight hours a week... come in twice a week... maybe churn out a story every seven days and enjoy a 12 hour class load with a beer can in my right and left hand for the majority of that time. When can I start?

 

Same for most of us at my college rag, and that's where a lot of problems arose.

When you work, talk, eat, drink AND sleep together, that's a combustible combination.

Sometimes it's best to just walk away and be a kid for a bit. Spud, follow your gut, in this case it'll point you down the right path.

 

absolutely do what it takes to make sure you enjoy your last semester. you have an entire lifetime to build your qualifications, and scaling back your responsibilities isnt going to take anything off your resume. don't burn bridges with any references or connections, obviously, but don't let your college experience go down as a lackluster memory.

you make friends for life in college, as long as you're not too busy holed up in the newsroom. i spent a great deal of time making sure i enjoyed myself in college, and yet when i look back and wonder what i could have done differently, i always picture myself erring more on the side of fun than my career - and i care very deeply about my career. but a career lasts decades...college last sixteen short semesters (give or take a few). and once it's gone, it's gone.

if you stick with the all-work, no-play philosophy, you're going to find yourself interviewing for a job in a few months, answering some tough questions, and wishing you could jump up, grab the editor by the collar and scream, "i made myself miserable for the best four years of my life just for you...now just give me the job!"
but that won't work. obviously. if you're good, you're good, and your clips will demonstrate that. they won't demonstrate how many good times you purposely sacrificed.

 

spud - no hiring editor gives a damn how long you work at your college paper. in fact, working even two or three nights a week at a real daily would look better on your resume.

 

I see your point. And, now that I really reflect back on it, I didn't spend every waking (and sleeping moment) with my newspaper friends. I had another group of friends, most of whom I knew from high school, who went to a different college about 20 miles away. I spent a lot of weekends over there, too.

Our school paper didn't publish on Saturdays and Sundays (I don't think most do). So I usually had at least Friday night to do what I pleased. After the major sports seasons were over, in March or April, I had Saturdays free as well. I remember working hard on the paper, doing enough to pass my classes, and still having plenty of time to be a drunken asshole of a college student.

I was well-rounded, I guess.