Being an editor for Odyssey, one of the fastest growing websites on the internet right now (what what!) looks great on a resume. With this position you gain leadership skills, strengthen your reading and writing skills and can say that you've had your work published on a national scale. Future employers will be impressed to hear that someone fresh out of college already has experience in an industry that is notoriously difficult to tap into. However, being an Odyssey editor is so much more than that. This job has given you a better understanding of yourself and of others as you are forced to dig into your own mind each week and peak into the minds of others. While every editor probably works a bit differently, here are some things we can all relate to.
1. You're on call 24/7.
Instead of good morning texts from your significant other, you wake up every morning to motivational texts from your managing editor. You never used to check your email this often, but if the CMS isn't working for one of your writers or if someone needs advice on an article topic, you don't want to miss it. You try to be readily available at all hours of the day in case of emergency. So next time your Grandmom asks, "What exactly do you do?" you can say, "I'm like basically a doctor."
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2. Odyssey work has taken precedence over school work.
Your "To Do" list has grown exponentially since you've started this job. You have thirty articles to edit AND you still haven't written your own. Your five-page essay on contemporary British literature can wait.
3. The handbook is bond.
You wish you could get "Attribute All Photos" tattooed on you, and your first born child will be named Header 2. When someone doesn't follow the handbook, it can drive you a bit crazy because you have it memorized. When you're asked a question about something that isn't in the handbook...your brain goes haywire like in the episode of Spongebob where Squidward has him empty his mind of all things that aren't fine dining and breathing. (Seriously, why are there some things not covered in the handbook?!)
4. You have nightmares about typos and things not being properly formatted.
Being an editor has basically consumed you.
5. You text your family "it's up" on every publishing day. They know the drill.
You have a squad of family and friends that you've recruited to share all of the articles each week. But when you can tell that they didn't actually read your article, you're like "WTF?"
6. You're critical of everything you read now.
"The title could be stronger," you say while reading The New York Times. "How'd they miss such a glaring spelling mistake?" you ask your monthly issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. "Needs revision," you say in disgust to the Verizon Fios description of "Wolf Of Wall Street." Like I said, this job consumes you. But hey, there are worse things to be than grammar conscious.
7. You wish list articles weren't so popular.
When one of your writers writes an article about something very personal like them being gay or what it was like for them to go through a breakup or deal with depression, you wish you could get on top of a mountain and scream "EVERYBODY! READ THIS!" But sadly that isn't the case, and all too often, amazing op-ed pieces are overlooked. While a list of 20 reasons why hot sauce is the perfect boyfriend is fun to read, incredibly personal articles don't always get the recognition they deserve and that sucks.
8. You feel like a proud parent when one of your staff writers has a trending article.
It's really exciting when your own article trends, but it's even more exciting to tell one of your writers that their article is trending. You can celebrate too because you had a hand in one of the top articles on the entire site!
9. The thought of finding a spelling mistake in an already published piece gives you hives.
If you've never experienced this, bless you, you sweet and innocent child. You work so hard and so diligently on editing, and it's infuriating when something slips through the cracks. Even if the problem is swiftly taken care of, you hate to see it happen.
10. Trying to explain Odyssey to non-college students is nearly impossible.
"So it's like a newspaper?" Yeah, kind of.
"You're the editor of the whole thing?" No, just my branch.
"I wrote for my school newspaper, too." It's not my school newspaper, it's a website.
"I read Elite Daily." Well you should be reading Odyssey.
11. You worry if your team likes you.
Your team will annoy you. Plain and simple. When they submit articles late or don't follow the handbook, it can get pretty tricky to handle being both their friend and their boss. But in the end, you're all there for the same common goal, and that is to do a really cool thing. As long as everyone is treated with respect, Odyssey can create friendships that will last well past graduation. And hey, maybe you'll even be called in the future as a job reference!
12. You wonder how the hell you fooled someone into giving you such responsibility.
You probably heard about the position and thought, "Sure, I'll try it out." And here you are, the face of your entire university via Odyssey. The great thing about this job is that none of us had prior professional experience going in, so it feels almost like you cheated your way into a really great job.
13. You'd be lost without your contributing editor.
If being a writer is a lonely job, then being an editor is an isolating job. No one really understands how difficult it can get, except for your contributing editor. Your CE is there to listen to you vent, give you a second opinion when you're on the fence about something and help to make you look really good. They don't get enough thanks, but they is smart, they is kind, they is important!
14. Despite the hours and hours you spend each week working, and the little aggravations along the way, every time you and your staff gets published is still an amazing feeling.
Seeing your name in print will literally never get old. The experience gained is great for future work, but even greater for your future life. Not everyone can say they worked for a website this cool at such a young age. Being an Odyssey editor is something to be proud of.
