It has been more than a week since I accepted a job as a temporary reporter for the Valley News, and it’s still hard to believe I finally have a job.
After sending about 115 job and internship applications, I’m excited to have found a newspaper where I belong. The Valley News was also one of the first papers to contact me about a job opening.
The paper, which covers towns on the New Hampshire/Vermont border, seems like a fun place to start a career. The editor, Jeffrey Good, is a Pulitzer Prize-winner and former reporter and editorial writer for the St. Petersburg Times.
The reporters and editors seem to really care about the quality of their storytelling. From what I’ve seen of the newsroom and read on the paper’s Web site, the staff seems intent on serving their readers and digging for the best articles.
I’m starting off as a full-time temporary reporter for six months with the possibility of being hired as a staff member afterward.
I’m hoping I can get some more experience with multimedia reporting while at the paper, too. I just bought a new digital recorder and plan to save up for a digital camera. I’m sure I will find a way to use them to find new ways of storytelling.
Here are the New Year’s resolutions I’ve made progress on so far:
*Earn driver’s license- Done, but I still need a car
*Get a job-Done
*Learn HTML & CSS- 2/5ths done
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I’ve split this post into two entries to keep it short. Stay tuned for the next part: where I freak out about the risks and rewards of the job.
P.S.: I might write/rant about something more timely before that, so this might be continued the post after next.
