by BILLY YANG
MY STORIES:
HB 497: The long arm of the law overstretched
Chowing down with SuAn Chow, goddess of SLC mobile cuisine
Spotlight on Jeremy Lin exposes Linsane Asian stereotypes
MY BLOG: Genuine enjoyment
I had a moment of clarity when I was working on an assignment. It was something that caught me by surprise.
As I was wrapping up my day at the Gallivan Center, where I spent a few hours shooting photos and interviewing patrons of the Chow Truck, when it just struck me. I genuinely enjoyed the work I was doing. It is definitely something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life, I thought.
I love talking. I often say it’s one of my favorite things to do. But I also love hearing stories. And I firmly believe that everyone has a story to tell.
Which other profession allows me to walk around, meet interesting people and tell their tales?
Even though every journalism teacher I have had at the University of Utah has told me journalism is a dying profession, I personally believe there will always be a place for proper journalists.
Being a journalist means going out and getting the story — finding sources, hitting the beat. This is what sets professional journalists apart from basement bloggers.
My class had a guest speaker that I found particularly inspiring and encouraging. Kevin Pang, a features writer at the Chicago Tribune, spent time talking to the class about his career and gave us tips about writing.
There was one thing Pang said that really stuck with me. There will always be jobs for people who can write well, he said.
I was lucky enough to secure a one-on-one meeting with Pang and he agreed to read a couple of articles I wrote for The Daily Utah Chronicle and critique them. When I showed up to the meeting, I was shocked to hear that he enjoyed my work.
Pang told me I am a good writer but there is room for improvement. He then went on to give me tips on how I could make my writing really pop and even introduced me to internships and career building programs at the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.
The experiences I’ve had this semester were real confidence boosters. While I’ve been told numerous times throughout my schooling that journalism is dying, I am optimistic that there will be a future for me in my dream career.
ABOUT ME:
I’m a journalism major at the University of Utah. It’s my junior year and if everything goes according to plan, I will graduate next spring.
What draws me to a career in journalism is the prospect of exploring the world, hearing interesting stories and retelling them.
As an aspiring world traveler and fledgling foodie, I hope to become a travel writer. I imagine a life of jet setting to stunning locations across the world, eating at the best restaurants and writing about my experiences — basically, getting paid to go on vacation.
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