The New Job and How It's Going
I'm about five weeks or so into my new position as Horse&Rider's editor/associate publisher. One issue, July's, is at the printer, and we're now about halfway through production of August's issue.
So how's it going? Well--there isn't short answer to that. But as a synopsis....
* I haven't come close to cresting the new-job learning curve yet. Even though I held the job once before, in the 1990s, it's a much different job now--just because it's a much different WORLD now. (How different? Well, for starters, there was no such thing as high-speed Internet and a hundred emails a day.)
* It's not so much a new-old job as it is a new-old lifestyle--one that involves having a magazine and its ever-morphing needs living in your brain, to greater or lesser extent, ALL THE TIME. This is especially true when you do this sort of work from home, have far-off colleagues in three time zones, and give out your home email address to some 160K readers every single month. The last time I did the job, this aspect took some getting used to. This time, at least, I knew, going in, that such would be the case.
* The editor post comes with some time-related casualties, particularly at first, when there's so much to get figured out and so many people looking to you for direction and yes-no answers. The biggest one? Personal horse time. At present, it's basically non-existent. Good thing we have a big lush pasture, because it's handling most of the horse-care duties right about now.
* "Bored" is never an issue...because there's never a dull moment!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 11:44 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I don't have the type of job you do but I often find that now I need to make appointments with my horses. Otherwise I find something else that needs immediate attention. I split my days up with my two boys so it doesn't feel like I'm rushed. So take some of the advice from H&R articles and carve out that little block of time, even 15 min, to keep connected.
I would really hate to see you so caught up in the horse magazine that you cannot enjoy your critters.
And when you bring Smitty home what then? I know you'll work it out. You put out a great mag!
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Has it been 5 weeks already? Wow - time flies huh?
But I am glad you are enjoying it! I have always liked that initial learning that goes on during your first weeks in a new job. Keeps you awake, stimulated, and make time go by super fast!
Your ponies will be fine of course they will be there for you when you have time.
What I want to know is --- how are your flowers?
I had you pegged as super woman when you featured your flower garden last year. Writer, Editor, Horse owner, horse show exhibitor AND perfect GARDENER - are you freakin kidding me??!
Sooooo, how are they looking now? LOL! :)
(watch she'll post a picture of this flawless flower garden....)
The garden is lovely BTW- and I have always enjoyed your mags- the ones you edit that is. I just went back to some older editions of HR where you were the editor and they were a great re-read!
Thanks for the compliments, Vaquero. I'm impressed that you still have any of the older H&R issues. I've been getting some of them out lately myself, and they do have a lot of good material in them.
A few classics, even!
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