My Journey Shows Trend

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — As promised, here’s my take on this week’s readings (feel free to post a comment, but it’s not required. Although sometimes, I'll incorporate blog discussions as part of other assignments here or offer extra credit, such as with the first post. … We'll keep the graded discussions on Blackboard):

Two years ago, I was in graduate school here and teaching two journalism classes with not much hope of finding a professional job in journalism because of the economy. Now thanks to the bet of AOL (which owns Patch) on hyperlocal journalism, I'm back to work for more than a year now. Part of the reason I got the position was because I've continued to upgrade my skills, especially in the digital environment where telling stories can be done through social media, audio, video and slideshows.

And I've needed those skills because my job really is several: I'm a reporter, an editor (I edit freelance copy and assign stories), social media producer and I'm my own administrative assistant (track budgets, mileage, etc.). Needless to say, this is more than a full-time job and has been admittedly stressful on my family life, although there is an advantage of being able to commute by walking down the stairs every day since I work out of my home. And, there's something rewarding about covering the community where you live. While I cover hard news, you also get to chronicle what makes an area special. The story above — which is something I didn't have the skills to do when I still worked The Flint Journal — is a perfect example: