Working Woman Again

I got a job today! And a good one, too.

It's a reporting position at a business to business publication covering the television industry. It's for the same company I went to for a second interview a few weeks ago. The interviewer didn't think I was right for that copyediting position, but was impressed anyway and forwarded my resume to someone else in another department who needed a reporter.

I'll catch up those who are unfamiliar with writing world jargon: A business to business publication is a newsletter or magazine that caters to a specific business. TV International, my new employer, has a target audience of CEOs, owners, and other television business-people who want to know the developments of other businesses in the same industry.

They gave me a sample issue that headlined the recent decision at Al Jazeera to produce stations in other languages and covered the sale of a state-owned Danish TV company.

This role will use a lot of the skills I gained while reporting for city councils, like deciphering documents riddled in "corporate speak," keeping up with new trends and developing sources on my beat.

The differences will be that there won't be any spot news and opportunities to write playfully in my stories. It'll be all serious, quick language for busy tycoons. I will miss writing about varied topics; it was fun to learn about how to keep horses healthy while asking questions about the latest law passed in the town I covered--as I typed out my feature on keeping arm flab at bay.

But I can live without that because even if the salary they offered isn't huge right now (though it's certainly not bad at all), it promises to grow a lot in the future, unlike a newspaper reporting position. And, frankly, dropping everything to run out to a fire or a car crash got really old, really quick. Not to mention the weird, long hours and paying for gas and adding mileage to your car for measley reimbursement. I guess I'll really find out what is truly satisfying to me in a job. I'm guessing right now that it's the money, hah.

They also said I should be prepared to be flown to Madrid, Paris, or Brussels for conferences in the industry a few times a year. Uhh, no problem, I said. Another perk: five weeks paid vacation is standard in Europe. That's in addition to the eight bank holidays a year. I'm thinking that's pretty sweet since I've always had to work the many of the normal holidays off, including on Christmas day both years at the Northwest Herald.

I start Jan. 8. Marty took the rest of the year off starting today, so we're going to take advantage of the free time we have now. Maybe a trip out of the country is in our near future. If not, we'll be enjoying London's sights, for sure.