Gaps in Time

There's so much that has happened in the last month, and I feel remiss in not documenting it in my blog. Dumb things like getting my Facebook page up and running. Learning Twitter and how to use it. Coming to understand more about Wikis and how to use them. Trying to understand what online teachers want from me and how do i ferret out the tiny details of their knowledge and make it my own. Taking a class on portfolio presentation and feeling totally inadequate. Not too much for a month.

Doug Bell is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and teaches the class on Fridays. He talks about the aspects of the journalism market as it is today and has hopeful insights and advice for students who are graduating at this time. We review resumes, talk about interviewing skills and will work our way toward portfolios. My resume received a grade of "B" but he didn't really like it. He felt overwhelmed by my huge variety of skills and that it's confusing. Pick a focus. Pick a passion, that's what he says. Write your resume to that focus. My problem? Jack of all trades, master at none . There's work to do.

Doug also has sent Noelle Leavitt, President of the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists who gave a spitfire talk and then took the class to the Press Club to get a feel for the place. She had great ideas, websites and resources and I've checked them all. Some interesting stuff to be had if you know HOW to look at things and not from behind a newspaper.

Though Doug really didn't like my resume, he did like my "Personal" section and told me not to change a word of it:

"I shoot, I write, I problem solve. I love my Mac, tolerate my PC and use Nikon as my mantra. I love knitting, art history, Mexican food and Margaritas. Of all the characters on Sex and the City, I'm most like Carrie. Except without the shoes."