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What To Do, What To Do

So these next couple of months are full of decisions for me. I am traveling to three universities for job interviews (ssshhhh). But there is still a part of me that wants to stay in journalism for a little longer. The idea of starting a teaching career as a professor without feeling like I've done all I can in journalism pains me.

If I stay in journalism, I want to do something completely different (multimedia, magazine, radio). I want to keep learning, challenge myself, better myself as a journalist. I enjoy doing journalism. It's a high for me. It's what I do and think about all the time. I'm a news junkie at heart and it's my fix. I couldn't imagine not doing it.

So here I am. At the crossroads of what I've been preparing to do for the past six years of my life: teach. And I'm not sure I'm ready to take that leap just yet. Scared? No. Not Interested? Definitely No. So what's the hang up?

As a journalist, we've heard other journalists say the reason they went into this field was to make a difference. Doctors say it. Lawyers say it. So do teachers. Unfortunately, this reason is said so often that it comes across as cheesy and that it's the "right thing to say." I want to do more than make a difference. I want to help make change happen. Do something that improves journalism on a larger scale, in the bigger picture. I want to watch that change take hold, grow, expand, deepen, have mistakes, branch off to new ideas. This is what I haven't accomplished yet, and I think this is my hang up.

Learning technology, on your own time

So I had a wonderful lunch with a colleague today and we talked about how we, as journalists, have to make time to keep learning storytelling skills using video, Flash, CSS, etc., in addition to working at our jobs. In essence, taking on more work to better ourselves.

We both agreed that it takes a passion about something (for me journalism) to put in that extra time. So I gave myself a short project today. I've never posted to YouTube. Ever. So I wanted to try it. It is so incredibly easy. 15 minutes (shooting and uploading -- tops). Why have I waited this long, I don't know. So here is my short video.

If you've never met my crazy cat samson, here he is. Enjoy.