As the semester winds down

I'm starting to wind up. The idea of graduating and finding the ever-so-important first job is edging closer and closer. The last few years have been hard work, but good work. The kind of work that makes someone feel accomplished.

• I've learned that writing a 600 word article in a JMC class is more difficult than writing a 10 page academic paper about capital punishment.
• I've learned more about grammar in the last four years than I have about math in the last 16.
• I've learned that no matter how much proofreading I do, there will always be something I didn't catch.
• I've learned that reporters don't have feelings, and even if they did, no one can know about them.
• I've opened the AP Style Book more times that I like. I'll probably open it once three times writing this article.
• I've learned that I have rights.
  
• I've learned that if someone offers me a Porsche as a gift, I have to turn it away.
  

It wasn't all about writing though. The Journalism and Mass Communications major has taught me a lot about my vast career field. It's about the ethics, legalities, society and the importance of news to our world. Granted, I wrote... a lot, but I also learned about what it is to be a journalist and not just a writer.

There were many surprises along the way as well. Getting back articles that had no A, B, C or even D anywhere to be seen was frustrating. But I learned. I learned how to transition from a writer of fluff into a writer of concise facts. I somewhat expected this. My GPA however didn't.

This semester, JMC 410 enlightened me on how much fun it can be to cover a beat that I enjoy. I remember being a child and having mom or dad tell me to "find something I enjoy and do it passionately." Reporting is that passion.

Doing it all over again, I wouldn't change much. The few tips I have are to make sure you have your AP Style Book and Media Writers Handbook on day one. Make sure you can take criticism constructively and make sure you go to class. Journalists can't take the day off, so why should you?