The Networking Weekend

Its not what you know, it's who you know. I think every industry albeit journalism, finance or bar tending, who you know can get you a very long way.

I went to a friend's house warming party, who also happens to be a Humber College journalism graduate, and got to know some very interesting people. Like most recent graduates do, they talk about themselves and what they are doing and offer their words of wisdom to those in their final year. Nine out of ten graduates said, network your "ass" off and do anything to get experience. The one out of ten said change to public relations, their is no money in journalism.

I listened to the nine out of ten and ignored that one and began talking to everyone at the party. Unfortunately this semester I am finding myself out of an internship and with too much time on my hands. Not anymore. Through my "networking" abilities I met the editor at Vaughan Weekly, the editor of Exclaim!, the photo editor at 24 hours and a sound editor at Edge 102.1 FM. All which are looking for people to do free work for them, hence I can fill my internship hours and get loads of experience from all these places. All it took was offering them a beer and listening to them rant about their accumulated debt and about how they are going to change the world.

Now for the one out of ten I entertained their idea about switching to public relations. After all there is apparently more money to be made and it's apparently easier to get a job. Then I think, when did a good journalist ever take the easy way out? Never.