>Fingers uncrossed; sharing the news!

>So I know I’ve been asking you guys to “keep your fingers crossed” and told you that I “had exciting news” to share. Well, now I can come out with it.

I have a new job! And it’s with an old employer! And I’m loving it! So let me explain the job odyssey…

I’m a journalist. I have a journalism degree. I went to journalism school; I’m a writer, an editor, and all that jazz. But if you know anything about the news industry, you know that it is changing rapidly.

I switched pretty darn quickly (over the course of 15 months) from being a bona-fide newspaper copy editor and page designer to online content. I feel lucky to have made the switch quickly and at a young age. And I know that’s why I have remained employed throughout the economic downturn.

After the switch to online content, I found myself at a good online job here in Birmingham. But after a year and a half of doing tasks that I felt a trained monkey could do –- a lot of copying over old code, and not a lot of decision-making or forging ahead –- I switched jobs and became the head of Web content for a TV affiliate here in the Ham.

There were pluses and minuses to the job, and it taught me a lot. But I know in my heart that TV news is not where I belong. Add to that thought massive layoffs. Our newsroom was cut in half during my time there. I had 3 weeks of furlough in 2009 — “furlough” meaning a pay cut in exchange for time off. I had a pay cut of about 5 or 6 percent. It was rough. But I still felt fortunate that I had least made a good decision in switching to online content, and my job felt secure.

And so, the trained monkey job? I’m back. But this time around, I’m no monkey. I’m in a senior role with a wonderful new boss – a new boss who came onboard in December, the one who came a-calling. Things have changed so much here in the span of the 2 years I was gone that my head is still spinning. But it’s all for the better. And I’m learning to get back on the bike and pedal hard.

And with this job, I will eventually be going rogue from the rest of the crew. Translation? We’re moving to MOBILE, ALABAMA!

…as soon as we can sell our house.

So please forgive me for being so spotty in posting here the past couple of months. In trying to get the job situation sorted out, I felt like I had nothing ELSE to talk about.But now I will have plenty to regale you with as we sell our home and set out on our newlywed adventure to the Port City.