We Are
I've never had a job that I liked. I mildly enjoyed working at Hollywood Video because I got free rentals and I worked with some people who were really cool back then, some of whom are still cool to me now. Since then, I've worked at a number of different jobs. I've hated them all. The only thing that is ever a saving grace for me at any job I work is the people I work with. If I don't like my environment, I hate my job and will probably quit quickly.
Some people at the Collegian call it their "job" or "work" or something. I never do that. It's not work to me. That's probably a good thing, since I don't get paid. But still, the fact that what I do is considered a "job" to some people is, frankly, kind of awesome. Everyone wants more money, but I've always put that aside in favor of doing something I enjoy. Even back when I was a little kid, before I even knew what money really meant, I felt that way. It's innate to me, to work a job that I like, no matter what I'm getting paid.
Travis and I had a great conversation last week that touched on this. He really put some faith back into me. Recently, I've just been sort of fed up with not ever having extra cash. All my money goes toward drinking. Besides being a student journalist, I'm also probably an alcoholic. They say that admitting it is the first step, but fuck if I care. But that's all besides the point (for now, anyway). The point is that Travis made me feel like I cared about being a reporter again. People care about what I do. Without that encouragement, I might be hating my "job" right now.
In all honesty, I'm a lazy shit who does very little and doesn't really exceed expectations, ever. I live up to them sometimes, but mostly I'm streaky. That's how I sort of am with everything, from beer pong to academics, but the hot streaks impress people enough that they forget about the cold ones. I'm like Allen Iverson, except white and not a basketball player.
The reason other people at the Collegian call it "work" or a "job" is that they're not all lazy shits like I am. They do their work day in and day out and they do it fucking well. College newspapers are interesting in that most of the people who are doing a specific job now and doing it fucking well will never do that job again once they graduate college. I can't guarantee that's true for specific people, but I think that's generally the case. And that's what people don't understand. The people I work with do a great job and they do it for nothing and they will never have that job again for the rest of their lives. Does that sound like fun? It sounds terrible to me. It's a good thing I like this job.
I thought about this today because Erin James, my wonderfully underappreciated Editor in Chief wrote a column Friday concerning The Phaily Phollegian, a parody newspaper created by my old colleagues in Phroth. Funny, yes. But apparently harmful, as some morons didn't get the joke. Their fault, our problem. I don't fault Phroth at all; they did do a great job. But one of the things Erin touched on in her column is that, while Phroth's parody was a great one, we at the Collegian do the same thing every weekday. We also have to report those stories. We also have to fact check those stories. We also have to edit those stories about six or seven times. It's a painstaking process that Phroth doesn't have to deal with. I'm not complaining or putting down Phroth; I'm just trying to point out what a ridiculously complex process putting out a paper is. And we do it Monday through Friday. And we also have weekly agendas, and on top of that we theoretically have to do respectably well in school. That's why, upon hearing the proposal that we have a minimum GPA requirement at the Collegian, I balked big time. I don't think I'd even pass the requirement.
I spend a lot of time at the Collegian. It's like my family, my home at this point. It's pathetic, really. But at some point, it absorbed me and now I'm stuck. Most of my friends are from the Collegian. Everyone at the Collegian makes bad decisions together. It's like The Real World, except once you make an embarrassment of yourself, you can't just leave the house after a few months. And that's kind of why I love it. I don't know how the hell we do it, but we do it. So yeah, when people bitch about the Collegian, I just kind of laugh. They have no fucking idea. It's not just some little rinky-dink pamphlet. It's one of the best college papers in the country, better than most professional ones, even. As good as the Centre Daily Times, and we're students. We've got places to go and b-dawgs to drink, baby.
Some people at the Collegian call it their "job" or "work" or something. I never do that. It's not work to me. That's probably a good thing, since I don't get paid. But still, the fact that what I do is considered a "job" to some people is, frankly, kind of awesome. Everyone wants more money, but I've always put that aside in favor of doing something I enjoy. Even back when I was a little kid, before I even knew what money really meant, I felt that way. It's innate to me, to work a job that I like, no matter what I'm getting paid.
Travis and I had a great conversation last week that touched on this. He really put some faith back into me. Recently, I've just been sort of fed up with not ever having extra cash. All my money goes toward drinking. Besides being a student journalist, I'm also probably an alcoholic. They say that admitting it is the first step, but fuck if I care. But that's all besides the point (for now, anyway). The point is that Travis made me feel like I cared about being a reporter again. People care about what I do. Without that encouragement, I might be hating my "job" right now.
In all honesty, I'm a lazy shit who does very little and doesn't really exceed expectations, ever. I live up to them sometimes, but mostly I'm streaky. That's how I sort of am with everything, from beer pong to academics, but the hot streaks impress people enough that they forget about the cold ones. I'm like Allen Iverson, except white and not a basketball player.
The reason other people at the Collegian call it "work" or a "job" is that they're not all lazy shits like I am. They do their work day in and day out and they do it fucking well. College newspapers are interesting in that most of the people who are doing a specific job now and doing it fucking well will never do that job again once they graduate college. I can't guarantee that's true for specific people, but I think that's generally the case. And that's what people don't understand. The people I work with do a great job and they do it for nothing and they will never have that job again for the rest of their lives. Does that sound like fun? It sounds terrible to me. It's a good thing I like this job.
I thought about this today because Erin James, my wonderfully underappreciated Editor in Chief wrote a column Friday concerning The Phaily Phollegian, a parody newspaper created by my old colleagues in Phroth. Funny, yes. But apparently harmful, as some morons didn't get the joke. Their fault, our problem. I don't fault Phroth at all; they did do a great job. But one of the things Erin touched on in her column is that, while Phroth's parody was a great one, we at the Collegian do the same thing every weekday. We also have to report those stories. We also have to fact check those stories. We also have to edit those stories about six or seven times. It's a painstaking process that Phroth doesn't have to deal with. I'm not complaining or putting down Phroth; I'm just trying to point out what a ridiculously complex process putting out a paper is. And we do it Monday through Friday. And we also have weekly agendas, and on top of that we theoretically have to do respectably well in school. That's why, upon hearing the proposal that we have a minimum GPA requirement at the Collegian, I balked big time. I don't think I'd even pass the requirement.
I spend a lot of time at the Collegian. It's like my family, my home at this point. It's pathetic, really. But at some point, it absorbed me and now I'm stuck. Most of my friends are from the Collegian. Everyone at the Collegian makes bad decisions together. It's like The Real World, except once you make an embarrassment of yourself, you can't just leave the house after a few months. And that's kind of why I love it. I don't know how the hell we do it, but we do it. So yeah, when people bitch about the Collegian, I just kind of laugh. They have no fucking idea. It's not just some little rinky-dink pamphlet. It's one of the best college papers in the country, better than most professional ones, even. As good as the Centre Daily Times, and we're students. We've got places to go and b-dawgs to drink, baby.
posted by Kevin A. Doran at 12:38 PM
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