Learning about my own job on Career Day

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

Last week, I received an e-mail from Jeanie Engelland, the principal of Providence Christian School, a small, private elementary school in Gig Harbor. She asked if I would be wiling to participate in the school’s Career Day, where I would deliver a seven- to eight-minute presentation about my job to kindergarten through fifth-grade students. I would have to give the aforementioned presentation four times, each time to a different group of 10 students, ranging in age from 6 to 11. My immediate response to was to say yes, primarily because I was flattered and honored that someone would want me to speak professionally about journalism. But not long after I agreed to this event, I started to second-guess my decision. Was I even qualified to talk about my career? Would I know the right things to say to young children? Could I actually fill up seven minutes of time? On the other hand, was seven minutes enough to time to explain why I wanted to become a journalist in the first place? Without realizing it, I was in over my head. I had agreed to a task for which I was not prepared, for the following reasons: Reason No. 1: The truth is, I get pretty nervous when I meet someone new. This is an odd fear, I know, since about 50 percent of my typical workday involves interviewing people I have never met before about their lives. Having to talk to a group of kids would mean having 10 simultaneous conversations with strangers — even worse, it would be impressionable young strangers, the kind who could actually be influenced by what I tell them. And since I tend to get very nervous when meeting people for the first time, who knew what would jump out of my mouth when a 6-year-old asked me what I liked about my job? The pressure was building. Reason No. 2: Sometimes I don’t realize that I have a “real” job, even though I’ve been working as a writer for more than two years now. When I showed up at PCS’s Career Day last week, I momentarily felt like I had stepped into a world of professionalism where I did not belong. The other presenters were a U.S. Army physician, a veterinarian and a U.S. Navy Chief. If I were between 6 and 11 years old, those would seem like amazing, exciting careers. But a writer? I mean, I love my job, and I consider myself lucky to spend my days writing — it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child — but would elementary-schoolers feel the same? So, after agonizing over what I was going to say to these kids, I defaulted to the easiest possible course of action: I was completely honest. I began my presentation by admitting I get nervous around new people, and then I explained that was why I got into journalism in the first place, since my job helps me overcome that fear. Being a reporter has taught me the importance of asking questions and listening carefully to other people while having a conversation. When I don’t know what to say to someone, I can ask that person a question, and suddenly, we’re both at ease. Second, when I don’t know the right words to say, I always know the right words to write. I might not be able to speak in front of strangers most of the time, but I know how to find out and write down a stranger’s story. Much to my surprise, the students had plenty of questions for me, and they seemed to show interest in my job. They even asked me what kind of “tools” I used, and I got to pull out my digital tape recorder. (I recorded the students’ voices and played them back, which everyone got a kick out of, myself included). One student asked if I liked my job, and I smiled and said that, yes, I did. And when they didn’t have questions for me, I had questions for them. I asked them what sort of stories they liked to read, and what they had learned from the other presenters on Career Day. The funny thing is, I learned more about why I decided to become a journalist from talking with the children at PCS than I have in the past two years of working as one. It took a group of students to teach me something about myself.

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator Paige Richmond at 853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.