When you spend nearly 30 years in the same career and countless hours in newsroom meetings, it's easy to lose touch with the real world, with real people with real challenges.
At a party last night, I was the only journalist in a rather large group, an object of curiosity among people who had heard about, but were certainly disconnected to, the upheaval reporters, editors and publishers are enduring during these troubled economic times. I got a lot of questions about where we were heading, and I offered my views about the lack of leadership in an industry that is doing a horrible job marketing itself and running from its strengths. But the most fascinating - and somewhat depressing - discussions I had were with two mathematicians, trained engineers working for competing companies in Rancho Bernardo.
Both are highly intelligent, both have earned masters degrees in mathematics, and both have ample background in engineering and physics. One works for General Atomics, which describes itself as a firm that "offers research, development and consulting services to the nuclear industry, including nuclear energy production, defense and related applications." His counterpart works for Northrup Grumman, which describes itself as "a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide."
Pretty heady stuff. Both have paid their dues, certainly. One served several years in the Navy before putting himself through UC San Diego, living on Macaroni and Cheese dinners before his breakthrough at Northrup Grumman.
And for both, the recession, the fall of newspapers and the hatchet job the current administration has done to our economy is more of an abstract. It doesn't really affect them, for their businesses are booming. With billions of dollars in government contracts, the last thing on their mind is job security.
As I listened to them describe the projects they were working on, including a laser based satellite system in its research and development stage, I felt, quite honestly, like an idiot. They deal with mathematical equations; I deal with whether there are too many commas in a sentence. They deal with developing systems that could ensure our very survival. I deal with Christmas tree recycling lists.
Am I being hard on myself? Certainly. But last night, for the first time in a long time, I began to wonder if I made the right career choice.
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2 comments:
that's happened to me before...my wife is a scientist, so every time we are out with her colleagues I'm always meeting people working on the cutting edge.
One thing I found is that they are just as impressed to meet a journalist as I am to meet a scientist, or even more.
in other words, they couldn't imagine themselves doing what I'm doing: writing, investigating, analyzing, exploring.
The fact is, the grass always looks greener on the other side.
As someone who worked with you, and learned a great deal from you, I can say with 100% confidence that you are definitely in the right career. We only crossed paths for a few months in 2004, but I still hear your words when I'm faced with something daunting. Because when I had the energy but not the focus, or the inspiration but not the methods, you taught me how. When I had questions but no sources, you showed me who. More crucially, at every step you reminded me why. What it's all for.
Thank you.
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