ORIGINS Hop - How I Became a Journalist

Today's hop, Origins, is the brain child of DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude,
Alex J. Cavanaugh is a co-sponsor, along with Katie Mills aka Creepy Query Girl and Matthew MacNish at The QQQE.

The question is: How did we all begin?
                                                                             ###

Aloha,

I was sitting on the potty when my life changed in the spring of 2005.

(If there’s anyone left reading this who’s not related by blood or marriage – bear with me, there is a point:)

Having just moved to Central Florida and the Space Coast, my wife and I were in the newly wed phase.

Work wise though, I was a mess, after months working in a local credit union, I was looking – searching – for a change. I knew the teller position was temporary, but couldn’t figure what I was transitioning toward.

My First Edition

Every Friday, the local weekly newspaper, The Hometown News, appeared in our front yard. Sure, it was free, but it had interesting stuff about our neck of the woods. I enjoyed reading it.

So there I was, still on the potty, and I looked over the classified section only to read:

Staff Reporter position available. Bachelor’s degree in journalism and two years of experience required. Must know AP style. Should include clips with resume. Send resume to…

Hmmm, I did a mental inventory:

Journalism degree… no

Two years of experience… no

Knows AP style…no

Clips… ah yes, I do have one clip, but clips… no

Sheesh, I was the perfect candidate!

My resume was impressive (if you wanted a restaurant guy with fifteen years of experience that included time spent as a cowboy in Paris and a clown in Ibiza.)

Needing back up, I spent two days perfecting the one-page cover letter, to be sent alongside the dodgy-looking interesting resume.

I couldn’t find a hard copy (it’s on a hard-drive that’s hardly working) so to paraphrase, parts of the letter said:

I may not have the degree you require – but I have more heart than another interviewee who does.

I may not have the experience you want, but I’ll work harder than anyone else on your team

I closed along the lines of:

I may be new to the world of writing, but I’m hungry to succeed, and given the chance I promise not to let you down, or make you regret your decision to hire me.

Emailing it over, I settled back, hopeful of a response in a couple of weeks.

Twenty-four hours later, my future boss (she just didn’t realize it) called to ask if I’d come in for an interview.

“Uh, OK, I suppose…”

This was not my response, but I did do the Electric Slide for the first time, as well as the White Man Can’t Dance Shuffle.

I later sat across from a no-nonsense, company vice president by the name of Tammy Raits, and one of the first things she said was:

“That was probably the best cover letter I have ever read.”

Well, it’s because my resume sucks, I thought… but did not say :)

My First Clip - evah!

We spoke for about an hour, and I explained how I got my first clip via a 2003 published article in a then-new magazine.

Tammy  forwarded me over to the publisher, Steve Erlanger, who offered me the job – after he gave me The Speech that culminates in him making sure I’d put in a minimum of 150 percent of effort.

Soon after I started, and it was such a buzz (it still is) to see my byline for the first time – above the fold – on Friday the 13^th of May, 2005.

While it wasn’t easy – I worked Monday to Friday from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the weekends as needed for several weeks – I taught myself how to take a story from idea to publication.

Look Ma, I'm in the paper (and it's not the Police Blotter)

While I’m super excited to co-write the memoir about Donald Braswell, the opera singer who lost his voice, I shall never forget the time spent learning and honing my skills as a beat reporter for a local newspaper.

It was a fantastic experience, and one I’d recommend to anyone breaking into the business of writing. Remember, you don’t need a degree or experience, you just need to believe in yourself.

So that’s my origins… how did you end up here,  reading this post? :)