I recently got the opportunity to go on Iowa Public Radio to talk about being a journalist, a job that was ranked “worst out of 200 professions on a website’s recent survey. I had a more positive take on things.
I walked away from the interview feeling really upbeat about how it went but also wondering if journalists who have found themselves less-than-happy with the industry’s dramatic turns might take issue with what I had to say.
I wasn’t speaking for anybody else, though, I was relaying my experience as a journalist, and it’s been pretty amazing.
I could have focused on the times that I had to work 10-hours days, or the daily grind that can sometimes result in tears and/or shouting matches with your significant other. I could have mentioned the election nights where I didn’t go home until 1 a.m., or the times dinner was an energy drink and a granola bar because I was writing on deadline.
There’s the pay that, at times, can be unsatisfying, and the crazy phone calls you get from people who are upset about one thing or another that has nothing to do with you. And I could have talked about all of that.
But I didn’t.
I tried to bring the same level of enthusiasm and energy that I try to bring to each day of my job. I’m not deluding myself, I’m just choosing to focus on the all the reasons that I’ve kept doing this work.
You can listen to my interview here. I come on during the last 15 minutes of the program, but the whole thing is worth a listen, really interesting to hear what other people’s jobs are like.
Jessie L. Bonner 