Being a journalist is tough.
Being a student journalist is even tougher.
I’ve been at the Daily 49er for more than two and a half years, and I never expected my time here to last this long.
In fall 2011, I walked into SSPA-004 thinking that joining the staff would be a good use of my time.
Little did I know of what would come: 12-hour workdays, sleepless nights, countless words to edit and tons of angry complaints.
And I loved every second of it.
Well, almost every second.
Student journalists oftentimes have to push themselves. They have to grow comfortable with calling strangers, learn how to dig through pages and pages of documents and tell themselves that sometimes a “no” can be a “yes.”
Pile on 12- to 18-units’ worth of classes, and you’ve got yourself a pretty tight schedule.
But that’s the beauty of working at a student newspaper: everything is about learning.
At the Daily 49er, anyone can learn how to write an article. Anyone can learn how to build relationships with strangers, how to design, how to make a video or podcast, and how to survive on little to no sleep.
You’ll almost kill yourself trying to learn it all. But along the way, you’ll gain a lot more than you expected.
I’m an English major, one of the few non-journalism majors in the newsroom. Pretty much everything I know about journalism was learned on the job. And through that, I somehow became editor in chief.
I joined the newspaper on a whim, never once expecting to have an office or run a 38-person staff someday.
Despite my lacking expectations, though, the Daily 49er has given me more than anything else in my college career.
I’ve gained all kinds of experience through the paper. I learned that not all people are nice. I saw professors and students march across campus in protest. I found that everyone has a story to tell. I made lifelong friendships. I even fell in love with another staff member.
Above all else, I realized that no matter what you write, it’s likely to piss somebody off.
Like I said: all kinds of experience.
With the printing of this finals issue, I’ll step down from being editor in chief. The editor typically serves for a full year, so leaving midway through my term wasn’t an easy decision.
I’m not stepping down because of how much the paper demands, though. I’m stepping down because of what the Daily 49er has given me.
Between all of the phone calls, reporting, writing and editing, I found that my professional desires didn’t quite suit journalism. They suited some aspects of newsroom work. Others, not so much.
Still, my time at the Daily 49er has given me the skillset to pursue other goals.
It’s also given me the courage to realize what I want out of my career and go for it.
So, to the campus community: thank you for reading and working with us. You make our jobs easier and worthwhile.
To the newsroom advisers and department professors: thank you for the advice and for always providing free food. I never before recognized the importance of a full stomach.
And to the Daily 49er staff members: thanks for everything else.
Kristine McGowan is a senior English major and the editor in chief of the Daily 49er.
