Look at me! I'm networking!

On Tuesday night, I met with the editorial assistant (EA)* at the local newspaper. We talked about life at the paper, her job and what it entails, as well as the state of the industry -- all from the point of view of a young person just starting out in the field.

The bottom line, so far, is a little bleak. The deflation of the economy in addition to the continued troubled state of journalism (print in particular) has led to a great many layoffs throughout the industry. Which means the competition for available positions is more fierce than expected, since even experienced journalists may be applying for jobs that we new grads are trying to get. And they, of course, are more likely to get those jobs, as they have an experiential edge. I feel the only hope for me and others like me is the fact that we are likely to accept lower pay than those who have been in the field longer.

However, as the EA told me, aside from looking for work in related fields, I do have several other options. One, which I have been looking into, is freelancing for magazines. She also suggested working as a stringer for the paper. Despite all the recent layoffs at the paper, she said they are still welcoming stringers, and in fact, actually need RELIABLE ones. Apparently, in this area, many stringers are notorious for not following through after a pitch has been accepted. She also warned me to NEVER send a story "on spec" (a whole unsolicited article for free). Another option is to volunteer as a blogger for the paper. Of course, I have to have an angle, and we discussed a few.

After our talk, she gave me a tour of the new newspaper facility and I got to see the press in action. I've had tours of newspapers before, but never have I been in the press room while the press is running. What a rush! It made me feel like a kid at an amusement park.

I'm very grateful she took the time to meet and speak with me two days before Christmas. I expect the Thank You card I sent will get to her tomorrow. (Always send a Thank You card to everyone who gives you a hand!)

Anyway, I have quite a bit to think about -- a lot of information to filter out and plenty of ideas to sort out and put into action.

(* I'm not posting the EA's name or the name of the paper, as I'm not sure it's polite -- at the very least -- from a networking standpoint to do so on a personal, publicly-viewed blog without permission. I guess I need to network with some other bloggers to find out.)