Move Along

I recently heard something that any college-aged girl can relate to: Home is wherever you hang your heels up.

I’ve been thinking about that quote a lot, and consequently, about where I’ll plant my… heels… after graduating college, or if I’ll plant them at all.

Moving really is the only lifestyle I know right now. For the past three years, I have constantly been moving from place to place. I will have lived in Lake Zurich, Ill., four places in Indianapolis, Washington, D.C. and now Madison, all in a matter of mere years.

And then, who knows?

Right now, in between helping my mom and uncle with their websites and my unbelievable internship at the Wisconsin State Journal, this whole dilemma is consuming my thoughts! And, while I pride myself on being pretty organized with all of this, this girl can have some questions, like…

Which cities should I look into applying for jobs? Is it unrealistic to think that I could get a journo job in Chicago or DC? Do I need to start thinking about grad school?

The state of journalism is so uncertain right now that it seems completely naive to think that I’ll graduate from Butler University in May and land a full-time reporting or copy-editing gig at a newspaper near my family and friends right away.

And while it’s hard to feel “secure” (read: this week’s Gannett Co. layoffs), notice that I didn’t say the “fate” of journalism. News will always be a vital part of life, whether our generation wants it or not.

I will never doubt if my passion is still relevant. Oh, it’s relevant. We need good reporters now than we ever have before.

What I do doubt, though, is having a traditional career path.

I could very well graduate in May and find work at a newspaper across the country, and I’d take it, regardless of the location.

Journalism students nowadays can’t get picky. And I sure don’t plan to.

We have to be up for the challenge, creative and find a way to make ourselves attractive and irreplaceable to organizations with enough money to put those heels in our closets.

Just thought I’d share these thoughts, because I have a feeling that I’m not alone out there with soon-to-be or recent grads! That’s all for now– off to copy edit at the State Journal!