I should post more

Wow, it's been about 9 months since I've posted anything. A lot has changed since August. First off, I'm engaged and plan to get married in the summer of 2010. Working such weird hours for the morning show has really tested our relationship, because I have to balance sleeping time with quality time with Kristin. But, that's about to change in August.

That's because I'm going back to school in the fall for my master's degree. I'll be attending the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. I'm very excited to get back to a normal schedule, though a little nervous since I've been out of school for a couple years. I plan to study Environmental and Energy Policy, but have some interest in studying Poverty Policy as well.

Of course, this means I will no longer be working at NBC 15 or in the news business. There's some good and bad in this. I've really come to like the people I work with, so that will be tough to not see the people I'm used to seeing every day. And I am a news junkie, so I won't be as immersed in the day-to-day happenings in the world.

However, there's also a feeling of relief that once I quit my job, I won't have to worry that I missed something important happening in the world for a day. It's tough to take a couple days off (or a week for that matter) and not feel like you have to play catch up once you get back to work. If and when I take vacations, I can concentrate less on what I'm missing and more on relaxing.

Also, the daily stress of the job and my graveyard shift are taking their toll. As the morning show producer, I'm responsible for two hours' worth of content, though many of our stories repeat each hour. But lately it seems I'm becoming responsible for more things on the show with less help.

My boss has been making a lot of small changes to the show to make things a little more fresh. While most of them are understandable and good changes, they also add to my workload. At the same time, our station is cutting back on employees, and now two days a week I don't have an assistant producer to help with scripts. The anchors have stepped in to help, but they have to leave early before the show to get themselves ready.

The problem for me with my job is that the best way for me to feel motivated is to feel that deadline pressure; but when there are so many things to do for a two-hour show, that pressure can really mount in the last hour before the show. So when there's breaking news or something else that disrupts my normal schedule and puts me behind, it can really get stressful.

Things might have been better if I had waited for one of the night shows, and had I not decided to go back to grad school I would have become the 10 pm producer this summer. But, that would have made things worse in my personal life, because I would hardly see my fiancee during the week. And considering that many newsrooms are cutting back in these tough economic times, I don't think a move to nightside would have given me much of a raise. Plus, I always knew I'd be going back to school, and I think this is the best time given the current economic climate.

I think that my return to a normal schedule will give me a chance to write more to this blog. I think I'll start writing some critiques this summer about the current news media, now that I don't have to worry about job security. Once the school year starts, I might focus more on politics and environmental issues, plus weigh in on the presidential campaign.