U of Florida beat writer, Tampa Tribune

Totally disagree. I've networked myself into three jobs, including a Division I college beat. It always pays to know people in high places and be friends with them.

I'm not saying you schmooze them to death. I'm saying you become their friends. You don't hound them. You do let them know who you are though. To say that is doesn't work is total crap. Most people get jobs because of who they know more often than just how good they are. It didn't hurt me a bit to know a few people and I'm good too and they knew it. If you are good and you know the fine lines of networking, then it will land you a job at some point.

Don't listen to idiots who think otherwise.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant.

 

If you already have a major beat, then, yeah, networking helps and is pretty unavoidable unless you're a total social misfit.

But how the hell does a prep writer in Denver know about an opening in Pittsburgh (for example )before the job opens? He's just supposed to know? C'mon.

 

What helped for me was that my friends from college had scattered across the country for their first jobs and we were always talking to each other about who was going where etc...

That's also one of the beauties of this site. There's a lot of job gossip here and if you hear about a possible opening you can email the SE to find out if it's true. Even if it hasn't happened yet, they may tell you to stay tuned.

 

Mizzougrad, does your avatar ever get tired of beating those drum sticks together? He's been doing it for years but he never seems to even catch a breather, much less a break. He'd make a phenomenal feature story.

 

It's the same question: Is this an actual hire, or just a facade-of-opening-and-promote-from-inside-and-consolidate?

 

Do you really think someone from Tampa will come on here and say "Yeah, fuck it. We have our guy already. Ignore the ad"?

No one ever lost anything by applying for a job.

 

As fickle as this business has become, applying for this job now could mean you're applying for another position thats about to open up, too. to not send in clips cause you think its already hired or because you dont know anyone would be stupid. and its smarter for some people not to network. there are several writers ive met who i liked a lot more BEFORE i got to know them.

 

There was a time when a job like this actually intrigued me but once you've covered the college level it doesn't really matter whether you're covering the Florida Gators or the Chatanooga Mocs.

The difference is, you make what you want of your job. You can take a small school and cover them like they're big or you can take a big school and cover them small. It's all up to you. I've covered both small and large and can't say that I prefer one over the other. Fifteen years ago, I thought I'd never say something like that.

You still haven't answered my question Mizzougrad. Does that guy ever get tired???

 

Your readership numbers - and level of interest/passion - are totally different for the different schools, though. Cover a school like Florida and write about a second-tier linebacker recruit, and you get bombarded with emails the next morning wondering what his 40 time is. It's kind of fun if you have the right personality for it. People give a shit.

 

I could careless what a bunch of nimrods with e-mail think about some linebacker's 40 time. If it's pertinent, it makes the story. If not, too bad. I don't have time to sit around answering e-mails to obsessed fans with no life. The senisble questions which actually have coherent grammar I usually respond to but they are few and far between.