10 Things You Need at Journalism Conferences

Going to an industry conference can be overwhelming. There’s hundreds if not thousands of people congregated in a small amount of space for a short period of time, all trying to learn and grow in their fields.

Traveling to one can be expensive to do, especially if you a new or young professional. But the investment can pay off tremendously in ways not possible through regular networking in your local area.

The Power of One Weekend: How four days in Edmonton changed my life

It’s pretty much the end of Day 3 here at the Canadian University Press’ National Conference in Edmonton, Alberta and right now I feel like my heart’s about to explode out of my chest.

A few days ago, I had completely bought into the idea a career in journalism was pretty hopeless.

[But] being here in Edmonton has changed everything.

A motivation of sorts

I set up this blog many months ago to practice writing and to help me get a job. But then soon after I became scared of publishing entries for fear of judgement and failure despite its small, highly-supportive audience.

But if there’s anything I’ve learned from my improv classes at the Impatient Theatre Company, it’s that this is a safe place for me to try things. I stand to gain more by continuing to try and feel embarrassed about little efforts than hiding and not publishing anything at all.

So why not write interesting postcards about my struggles and attempts in the industry to help keep me going?

The benefits of internships. Lots of internships.

I read recently there is such thing as ‘doing too many internships’. Corinna vanGerwen writes in Masthead Online: “You can do as many as three, but more than that and potential job employers may ask why you haven’t found a job yet.”

I personally think this is the year to break that rule.

Personally, I haven’t signed up for just two or three internships. I plan on doing at least five.

Twitter lesson of the day

Promoting your blog via twitter doesn’t have to sound self-centered, as long as you advocate its reader value more than its connection to the author. Here’s some examples of the difference I’ve noticed from my own experience.

Some feedback on the feedback

I didn’t realize it until just now that I hadn’t updated my blog in over a month. Initially I started this to showcase my work somewhere online – a backup I could call upon when I met people or went to conferences and was asked to give examples of my work without having to pull out my hard-copy portfolio.

But now that I’ve updated with the shorter entry on Wayson Choy, there are a couple things I’ve learned that I think are worth repeating.

A lasting impression not just for me

Quite often I’ve been lucky enough to make such a great impression on people that they still remember who I am years later. This has not only proved to be handy for making friends and meeting professors but also for really good interviews. I just never knew the extent it would apply to award-winning authors as well.

What’s the real cost of internships?

At a time when journalism jobs are plummeting and unemployment rates continue to rise (on what seems like a daily basis), Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if this is a better or worse time to be looking for an internship.

Funny how things change…

It’s past 3:30am here in Toronto, and I have just finished setting up the bare-bones of this new blog. Long after registering a domain name (www.karenho.ca), I have finally set up the basics of my CV and linked things up to my flickr and twitter accounts.

And so the question remains, why now?