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Degree and Year: BJ '02 (News-Editorial) Company: 417 Magazine Company Web Site: http://www.417mag.com/ Title: Contributing Editor City and State: Springfield, Mo.
417 Magazine is a city and regional lifestyle magazine. It's the most widely read publication of its kind in southwest Missouri. Inside you'll find features on the most interesting people, the best in home design and decorating, travel, fine dining and entertainment. What do you do? I am a contributing editor. I started working at the magazine in 2003 as an editorial assistant, then an assistant editor, then a managing editor. In 2006 I moved back to my hometown (about two hours from Springfield) to manage my family-owned and operated marina on Bull Shoals Lake. However, I continue to pitch stories to and write for 417 Magazine. How did you get your job? My husband and I moved to Springfield to be closer to our friends and family. (We had been living in Sarasota, Fla.) He got a job right away. I sent my resume and portfolio to several publications in the area. And I waited. Finally the editor of 417 Magazine called to talk about me possibly freelancing for the magazine. In the end, he offered me a full-time editorial assistant position. He and I were the only editorial staff at the time. (Plus an art director and art assistant.) The magazine has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Now there are three editors, two staff writers and multiple contributing writers. I was fortunate to get in when it was still small and be a part of the growth spurt. What was the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School? Now that I am out of school and in the field, I realize how valuable my time spent at the Missourian was. It truly is what gives MU J-School graduates an edge over other young journalists trying to get hired. What would be your best advice to current students? Keep an open mind. Sometimes it's hard not to take criticism personally. But you have to remember that your editor, sales manager, publisher, etc. is trying to make you better at what you do. Most likely he or she has been in the profession longer than you. That doesn't mean he or she is always right, but be respectful. At the same time, don't be afraid to express your opinions. What do you consider your greatest professional achievement? The fact that I have had two jobs in journalism (and have actually been offered four) since I graduated from the J-School is, in my mind, a pretty great achievement. What makes you good at your job? I try to keep an open mind. I try to learn from my mistakes. I am genuinely interested in hearing people's stories, and I hope that shows. And I try to keep a positive attitude. What are your next career steps? I hope to continue writing for 417 Magazine and also find other outlets for my writing. I want to write a book someday. I haven't started it yet, but I'm taking notes along the way. What did you want to be as a kid? I don't really know. Maybe a teacher. My mother says when I was very young I would sit for hours flipping through magazines and catalogs, carefully looking over each page before turning to the next. Throughout elementary, middle and high school I was always doing something with words - spelling bees, Young Authors contests, yearbook, newspaper. I come from a family of Mizzou graduates, and so I always knew I wanted to go to school there, and not necessarily for the top-notch journalism school. In the end it just worked out pretty perfectly. 
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| Revised: 12 September 2008. Copyright © 2008 The Curators of the University of Missouri | Contact the J-School | |
Jabet Morgan Wade, BJ '02