Casey Brown
Staff Writer
Random stranger: Oh, you go to Cameron? What’s your major?
Me: English.
Stranger: What do you want to do with that? Teach?
I hate chitchatting, by the way. I’m not quite sure why 100 percent of people who have ever asked me – whether I am at work, or in line at the grocery store or wherever – about being an English major assume that means I want to teach. I mean, I might want to teach, but don’t we need good writers everywhere instead of just in schools?
I will say this though, a meme I saw on Facebook the other day makes a good point: “In 100 years we have gone from teaching Latin and Greek in high school to teaching remedial English in college.”
Don’t we need people who know how to properly use a comma, and, more importantly, a semicolon in business and technology and science and in the media? Or, better yet, people who know how to communicate effective and concise thoughts in those industries? What about in government and in international diplomacy and the military?
Yes, we do need good writers and strong communicators everywhere, especially in the media.
Random Cameron person (student or staff member): You write for the school newspaper? Do you like it?
Me: Yes.
Random Cameron person: Why? Are you a Communications major?
For the record, I am not a Communication major. Here is where the conversation varies, though, depending on who I am talking to. I tell fellow writers that I write for the paper because it is a paid writing job. And, for those of you who don’t know, paid writing jobs are almost as rare as unicorns. However, I tell anyone else who isn’t a writer that I write for the paper because it is a scholarship.
Lately I have found myself wondering why I would tell anyone that I write for the paper for the money. I suppose it is easier to brush off conversational questions with easy, short answers instead of the complex answer the question deserves, but money has nothing to do with it. The answer might be so complex that I don’t have enough room in a half a page to fully flesh it out, but here’s the deal.
My mother taught me how to read at an early age. She taught me how to do this by having me read her the newspaper in the morning.
When I was a freshman, I remember seeing “The Cameron Collegian” on the racks around campus and being impressed with the fact that a school the size of Cameron had a paper to begin with. When I picked up the issues each week that year, I was further impressed with how much content was in each edition. I wondered who the people were behind making that paper happen each week. This was before I knew I wanted to be a writer. It was way before I had enough confidence to apply for a job as a staff writr, let alone interview people and cover stories.
When I read a news article on the internet, I am often frustrated because I shouldn’t have more questions about the event than I did before I read the article. I want to figure out why this happens so frequently. Sure, it is essentially common knowledge that the newspaper almost disappeared and the Internet favors speed, but that isn’t enough of an explanation for me. I don’t know what the whole story is yet, but I will one day.
So it is really for the money?
I may not be a Communication major, or a journalist at heart (at least not in the same way my friends are), and I haven’t taken any journalism classes since middle school, but I am nonetheless drawn to this job for some reason. That reason can’t be money though. I’ve never done anything for the money. At least I like to think so.
I am drawn to this because I want the opportunity and excitement of practicing my craft every week. I am drawn to this because it terrifies me to walk up to a stranger and ask for an interview. I’m an introvert, so trust me when I saw it is terrifying; hopefully, I hide it well. Being outside of my comfort zone is terrifying, but it is also a rush. I am drawn to this because I am curious, and I like hard work, and I want to figure out why the internet sucks sometimes. But it isn’t for the money.
We need good writers, strong communicators and critical consumers of media everywhere. Maybe I can figure out how to be all of those things while I’m here, and maybe my work can convince others of the obvious truth.