I almost feel cheated by my college experience. Most people assume that four years of college, or considerably more than four years for some of us, changes you. When I began my long and sometimes perilous journey through the world of higher education, I made the mistake of believing that the college graduate version of me would somehow be a different person. Now that graduation has finally arrived, I feel no more mature, no more prepared for “real life,” and I fear my degree in journalism might soon be joined by a food handler’s certificate.
I never imagined that some of the most memorable moments of college life would be at the Daily 49er, but that’s the way things ended up. Whether it was staying in the newsroom past midnight, scrambling to fix some aspect of our website, or having my inappropriate utterances printed out and taped to the “quote wall” to embarrass me long after I’m gone, my memories of working for the newspaper will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Working on our 60th anniversary edition was one of the most enjoyable things I can remember. Seeing how the newspaper, and Cal State Long Beach, has evolved over the past six decades was fun, but it also helped me realize that many of the current challenges we face are nothing new. We’re not the first to face massive budget shortfalls and the class of 2010 isn’t the first batch of college graduates facing bleak job prospects.
Of course, many of these memories could have easily been bad memories if the people I worked with hadn’t been so great. I know it’s a bit of a cliché to praise your co-workers, but the people I worked with at the Daily 49er truly were some of the hardest working individuals I have ever met. Many of us spent more time in the newsroom than we did at home, even though the money we earned wouldn’t come close to paying the rent.
I wish the class of 2010 well. Times might be tough, but at least you’ll never have to see another damn Scantron again. Oh, and always remember to spend your unemployment checks on food before beer. Welcome to the real world.
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