"Coo-coo-cachoo, they find their way back to the big ol' blue."

Sometimes you have to live three years in limbo before you find an escape route.

Google Images, babe.

Getting a job is hard. Getting a job you love is harder. Getting a writing job you love is really hard.

I interviewed for a staff writer position at Montco Media in January and for certain reasons, the hiring window became a freeze zone right after my interview. What did that mean for me? I didn't get hired.

This was really hard to accept because I wanted the job so badly. Frankly, I needed the job so badly because to be honest, I had hit rock-bottom. 

I have doubted myself for the past three years about becoming a writer. Could I even get hired? If I was hired, could I do the job well? If I did the job well, would I love it like I thought I would?

The answer is finally "yes".

In March, I was asked to freelance for Montco Media with the wonderful opportunity to have a friend be my editor. The friend is someone I had met waiting tables and is the reason I knew about the job at all. 

The most amazing, poetic part of it all? A week or two before I was asked to freelance, I severely cut back my hours at the restaurant. Why? I wasn't happy. That was reason enough for me. However, I was still as lost as I ever was- if not more. But I knew I needed to take the risk in order to find a job writing that truly made me happy and satisfied.

Hindsight would make it seem like I was making myself available to freelance. Reality would tell you that I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.

When I received that offer I was nervous beyond belief. And they asked me to cover my first story the next day! Whoa! 

But I put on my fancy clothes, grabbed my notebook and listened to every damn piece of advice my friend/editor gave me. I am perpetually grateful for his patience and help since I've started this job. And it shows me how good people can be and how we're all here to help each other, more than anything else.

But guys- I'm still human. So I have made plenty of mistakes so far! 

For example:

1. Calling the Chief of Police "Officer". Oops. He did not like that. 

2. Not understanding sewage and water systems so badly (but honestly, who would?!) that I had to have the township manager spell it out for me on a phone call days after I covered my story. Embarrassing but necessary. And it won't be the last time I have to look like an idiot to get a story correct.

3. Conducting an interview of 3 people at the same time and starting with a question that I thought would steer my entire story... only to have them shut it down immediately. I was left floundering for words for the next hour. The audio is actually painful to listen to as moments of silence appear consistently throughout. Absolutely painful.

4.  Grammar. You think you know it- you don't.

5. Attribution. You think you've done it- you haven't.

And many more, I'm sure. However, I wouldn't want it any other way. I have learned so much and have met so many people in these wonderful few months. It's amazing how fast time flies when you truly love what you do. And I hope that never stops being the case. If I have talked to you at all in these past few months, I'm sure I've already gushed about being a reporter. I don't mean to be annoying but it's been a painful trip since graduation and I finally feel that I have found my niche. And it is pure joy. Pure, challenging joy.

I cover art events in elementary schools, and groundbreakings for beloved town establishments, and interview people that are killing it in this game of life. And then I get to go sit in my living room and write about it. WHAT. HOW COOL IS THAT!?

Google images, dude

So I promise to just keep swimming- if you all do the same.