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Posts Tagged ‘college’

How one cup of coffee changed my life

A recent conversation, over coffee, brought to mind a seemingly insignificant moment that changed my life.

This recent chat was with Megan Robertson, a very kind and bright journalist who I met on Twitter the week before. She was welcoming me to New York City and offering career advice, and the conversation strayed to her own climb up the corporate ladder. “I can think of one or two people — if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she recalled.

That remark reminded me of the people who have invested in my own life. There are many, yet one person in particular has profoundly shaped the path of my life. I can say with absolute confidence that, if not for Bob Basil, who chairs the applied communications department and teaches at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, my story would be drastically different. It was one cup of coffee, …

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May 16, 2012   Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Category: Journalism, Life   3 Comments comments

Dust begins to settle after 4-year whirlwind

Times of transition are among the most stressful periods in life. There is no doubting that. It does not come as a surprise.

I finished earning my four-year journalism degree last week, and with that, a stage of life came to a lurching end. Lurching, because the last semester (and years) have been crammed full of juggling multiple jobs, a full course load and all of the regular life chores and activities that pack the to-do list of young people who live on their own. Plus, I was arranging a move and securing an apartment in New York.

Suddenly, though, my scheduler was free of pressing deadlines. There are no more homework assignments. I was no longer a student.

I liked the sound of that. But as I talk with other students in the class of 2012, I’m realizing we are all lost, empty, searching for a new identity. There were no fireworks …

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April 25, 2012   Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Category: Life   4 Comments comments

The future is looking up for journalism students

Journalism jobs have been springing up throughout B.C. recently — and young journalists are being eyed to fill those positions.

It’s a sign of the times, an admission that tech-savvy and energetic 20-somethings can provide necessary skills to aging newsrooms less inclined to adopt extra work in their already busy days. Some fondly remember the days of spending days on big stories; students now have never known that luxury.

Today, it is all about speed, website hits and the number of published stories.

It has been encouraging to see so many job openings this summer, though competition for those spots is stiff. A young age is now an asset in the eyes of many hiring editors. Those editors are keen to consider young reporters’ tech advice and newsrooms that have limited knowledge of multimedia production are eager to learn.

There have been permanent openings at a number of newspapers. And though there are few …

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August 14, 2011   Tags: , , , , , ,
Category: Journalism, Life   No Comments comments

A few first thoughts

I have finally stepped up to the plate and created blog, Twitter, and Flickr accounts. As a first-year journalism student, I have only begun the process of becoming familiar with photography, journalistic writing, and graphics tools such as Photoshop. I think it’s safe to say, though, that I can be proud of my progress. The header is entirely original, as is the background image on my twitter account – if I can get past the error message and successfully post it, anyway. Until this year, I had surrendered to the belief that I simply cannot create art. I recently realized that, with decent effort, anyone can be an artist. Take advantage of free tools like GIMP if Adobe Photoshop is too expensive. That is what I use when I am at home on my pc. (Blaspheme to some, but I prefer PCs over macs.) In fact, I used GIMP to …

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December 17, 2008   Tags: , , , , ,
Category: Life   3 Comments comments

© 2012 Sarah Jackson