Speaking of Jobs

Derek’s job post was so inspirational and lovely, I thought I might share how happy I am in my current position. As many of you may know, when I quit my job at Timberland last year to devote more attention to my school work, I started interning at NHPR. Lo and behold I discovered that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, and I fell in love with radio production. (My pops worked in radio and television for a very long time.) It has been an amazing experience.

• I’ve met highly intelligent, interesting and outrageously funny people at work, all of whom I am proud to call friends.
• I’ve stopped being so incredibly fussy about my writing. When a script needs to get done, it needs to get done. No time to wallow in the misery of not choosing the perfect word or the best sentence structure. Write well and make it quick are two of the best things I’ve learned as a radio producer.
• I’ve channeled my fastidious nature into editing sound. I did learn early on that I like to make interviews sound “perfect” which unfortunately makes them sound “bad.” A lot of training and patience from TQ, ZN, and RL, and I’ve come to respect the occasional ums and ahs, and even allow people to breathe, even when I think they’re milking it a bit.
• I’ve also been able to lend my voice to the airwaves, something I never thought I would do, and something I hope to do more of in the future. I’ve done tongue twisters and I even played the part of an incredibly creepy child. If you’re local, you might hear me do some station ID’s in my natural, slightly midwestern accent!

In September, NHPR hired me as a part-time producer for the show I had been interning for, Word of Mouth. I helped transition the team to a new Senior Producer and learned even more in the process. When the new Senior Manager was settled in a bit, I took a brief break while the station figured out how to shuffle some funds.

Last week I returned to my part-time gig, this time as a Production Assistant, working for Word of Mouth, the production team, and on a special project. I can’t express how much it helps to be busy at work when my little brain is trying to process  information and worry all the time. Ergo, being busy at work means no time for worrying! Also, having a great, fun and rewarding job is therapy in its own right. When I was working at Timberland, Derek gave me the little test he posted yesterday. I had a hard time answering yes to any of them. When I started working at NHPR, he gave me the test again; I answered yes for every single one.