Jul 5, 2010
Do ink-stained undergrads have an advantage?
Producing the Cornell Daily Sun. Flickr photo, cc by foreverdigital
I’d missed this last week when it was first posted, so thanks to Towson University’s Stacey Spaulding for pointing out a short but convincing essay on why it makes a lot of sense for a college student to work on the university newspaper, even if a career in journalism is the furthest thing from her mind.
No other extra-curricular activity on campus is better for your career — no matter what that is — than the newspaper.
That’s because nothing else … is as complex and deadline-driven.
A Homecoming Committee chairwoman once protested to me, “We host a whole week of awesome and fun activities!”
“Yeah, but you have a whole year to organize it,” I replied. “The newspaper staff publishes a paper every week and updates a website every day — which is much more impressive to a potential employer than taking 11 months to organize a parade and a dance.”
As long as we’re defining “newspapers” as the paper and its digital editions, I think this is good advice.
Jul 07, 2010 @ 05:35:03
Start with the college newspaper, got it!
Jul 07, 2010 @ 07:49:19
This article nails it. Every time I'm invited to attend a Towerlight editorial board meeting, I come away with a new respect for my students. They are discussing issues like ethics and monetization in ways we can't even approach in the classroom.
Jul 07, 2010 @ 10:35:03
Start with the college newspaper, got it!
Jul 07, 2010 @ 12:49:19
This article nails it. Every time I'm invited to attend a Towerlight editorial board meeting, I come away with a new respect for my students. They are discussing issues like ethics and monetization in ways we can't even approach in the classroom.
Jul 16, 2010 @ 08:22:18
Hmm, I couldn't agree more. Being in the school paper requires time and effort. It's, I guess one of the most complex experiences I have ever had.
Jul 20, 2010 @ 10:39:52
As someone who hires recent graduates, this made me realize that I tend to favor the ink-stained applicants. Although it might have something to do with me doing it during my time at college, I'm sure subconsciously I'm more considering the experience that that job gives the potential employees.