i almost turned down the position that has changed my life

Today marks one year since I took on the position of being Editor in Chief for the DePaul chapter of Odyssey. This position has changed my life and I almost turned it down. I hesitated in taking on this role. I didn’t think I was cut out for it. Somehow I still convinced myself that taking on this position was the right thing to do.

I ended up being right but in the beginning I was very nervous. I had never managed a team of writers before and I feared I lacked the skill to do it. I worried about giving feedback on articles because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I had been a writer for a little over a year before I became EIC so I know what it’s like to write a piece your really proud of and I didn’t want to discourage anyone.

I eventually found my footing and realized that it’s my job to provide feedback. I also make sure to keep the voice of the writer intact while still pointing out ways for them to improve.

It has been a huge learning curve for me. Not only have my editing skills improved but my writing skills, leadership skills, and social media skills have also improved. I’ve learned tactics for sharing articles on social media so they can be seen by the biggest audience possible. I mean isn’t that the point of writing something? I want people to read what I write for Odyssey and I want people to read what my awesome creators write!

This experience has also allowed for some personal growth. I have spent a lot of my life doubting myself and my abilities. Like I said before, I almost turned down this position. I doubted that I was capable of taking on the responsibility to be EIC and I doubted that I had the skills to get the job done properly. I took a chance and ended up surprising myself with how well I did. I have grown so much from this role. I have learned not to dismiss opportunities that come your way. You can’t say yes to everything without running yourself ragged, but don’t turn down an opportunity that can take you to the places you want to go.

My dream career is to work in a publishing company on an editorial team. While my experience with Odyssey is completely different from that of a publishing company, I still have learned a lot of valuable skills that I can take with me for my future endeavors.

I want to thank all of my creators who have put up with me learning the ropes of this position. The members of my team are one of the biggest reasons this experience has been so enjoyable. Technical issues are never fun, but they aren’t so bad when you have a GroupMe chat to complain in about how you’re on the struggle bus.

As I’m sitting here writing this I’m laughing and shaking my head at myself for almost turning down this amazing offer. Odyssey has been a huge part of my life and it has honestly been an important part in shaping who I am today.