Musings, Fixations, Worries, Queries

Ever just stop for an hour and think about where your life is headed? Ever map out where you've been, where you are, and where you'd like to be? I seem to be doing that more often than I'd like, these days. I suppose at twenty-two this is normal of the transition from student-worker bee; figuring shit out. While half of my twenty-two year old counterparts seem to have their shit together, the remaining half is caught fostering a complacency which should not be allowed. I have friends who are captivated by inspiration, and in turn, motivation. However, I also have friends who sincerely cannot fathom finding the confidence, or in my opinion, desire, to quit their poor-paying, menial part-time job.

I love to write. I do. I would love to go into journalism, but my portfolio is poor. I do not know where to look for the opportunities to expand my experience. I need to be taught how to write like a journalist and yet I cannot find the time. 

Currently I am "employed" as an intern for a Toronto-based parenting magazine. It is an unpaid position, hence the use of quotations. I enjoy the experience I am gaining there. I am hosting interviews, writing movie reviews, blurbs and pieces that will be publishing in the next issue. But is that enough? Will employers see this experience as something that sets me apart from other writers my age? I can't help but think negatively.

It is difficult to obtain the positions you seek that require a minimum of three to five years in the industry of choice. Where do we get this experience if employers are not willing to take a chance on those who have not met the requirement? It is difficult proliferating your name at this age. It is difficult establishing a rapport in the presentation of your work which warrants respect for one's craft. However, one way or another, things fall into place.

I often envy my father's employment path. In his last year of university, a professor approached him to applaud my father's talent for writing, and asked if he had ever considered applying for a position at the Windsor Star. He hadn't, but after Mr. Professor's intimation, it was all he could think about. My Dad had a connection at the Star and was soon given a job. Yes, just like that. There was no portfolio, there were merely essays which had been handed to the hirer. Heck, if it was that easy we'd all be journalists. I suppose that's the point, after all; to weed out those who are dutifully passionate about writing as objective, sensitive journalists, from those who sloppily aggregate facts and quotes for the sake of meeting the assigned quota.

Anyhow, I know this is quite irrelevant to most of the content I provide you on this blog, however, I know I am not alone when I say that: currently, I am lost. I know there are millions of others who are desperately researching for avenues which give them a leg up and offer them the chance to acquire the experience they need to reach their next goal. 

I've been checking this out for some inspiration. So far, it has helped. FastCompany's list of the Most Creative People In Business: 2012-2013. Check it out: FastCompany: The Most Creative People in Business: 2012-2013

Good luck, chaps!

xx