...What happened to me?

8 years ago I was a prospect. A player. A future big timer. People from the New York office would call me and say "man there are a lot of powerful people who are very impressed by you". And at that time they should have been. I was 24 and I was part of the "new journalist" -- completely adapt at doing things the old way but keeping both eyes on the future and this internet thing that everyone was getting into.

I'm not sure when the wheels began to fall off, maybe it was when I got denied a management opportunity, but whatever happened I decided the newspaper game wasn't for me anymore to I skipped to do a start-up magazine.

It was a good move. I learned a lot about management and organization. I learned a lot of new skills and I learned how to manufacture large projects with very limited manpower. Three years worth of magazines into it and I was finally getting to a position of comfort going into 2009.

Then disaster strikes.

You know the old story. These are tough times, this is a tough economy, etc. etc. End story is the same -- we don't have the money and unfortunately pal, you don't have a job. That sucks but it's the game we have to play in 2009.

Now I'm stuck in no man's land. There are no jobs in my industry. The journalism business has been completely sucked dry. All those powerful people who were impressed by me have taken buyouts and moved on.

In 2009 it's different. I'm just looking for anything to survive right now. I like living in St. Petersburg and if I have to go work at someplace for a year or two until things get a little better. I can do that. As the title says, we're in a different world. Everything costs more but everyone's making a lot less. It's not the way we planned it but the world doesn't wait for us to adjust. Much like it was hundreds of years ago, it's a game of survival. Hopefully no one gets eaten alive.

Labels: 2009