Being an editor for Odyssey is not like any job. People don't realize all of the hard work that people put in to make sure that communities stay meshed together, awesome articles are produced on time, and that no one fully loses their mind. Here are some things I think every Odyssey Editor-in-Chief definitely knows to be true:
1. Recruitment felt as impossible as seeing a unicorn in the flesh
As newly appointed Editors, we were told to hit the ground running and recruit like there was no tomorrow. We had goals, deadlines, and our sanity to keep up… Along with jobs, school, and so much more. That excitement we had when we were first given the job was slowly stifled and some days it felt nearly impossible to have someone even ask what Odyssey was. But, despite setbacks, applicant back-outs, and other obstacles, WE DID IT! And nothing compared to looking at the number of people on our team – that WE recruited – and knowing that we accomplished the first step in this awesome job (with or without losing or minds).
2. Launch week has about the same stress levels as finals week at college
We’ve all been there. Launch week. In the moment, it felt impossible. Making sure everyone’s articles were submitted, getting past technical problems, getting the formatting and editing down pat, dealing with uncited pictures and sources… Again, that was another time for a lot of us where “sanity” was a thing of the past. But, we kept our cool because we are in authority positions. We are leaders. We stepped up, did what needed to be done, got in touch with our upper-hands when we needed to, kept in communication with the creators, and launch week was a success – even though in some moments, it felt impossible.
3. There is a fine line between being an authority and being a peer
Since I am a young editor, sometimes I feel a little weird stepping up into the authority aspect of my job. I feel out of place, especially when I’m dealing with people years older than me. There’s a very, VERY fine line between laying down the law and letting too much go unnoticed. It’s hard to find the courage to speak up as a leader of a team of however many you may have on board, but it’s in the job description. It may be tough, but it needs to be done.
4. Meetings with your Managing Editor are the highlights of your week
Your Managing Editor is basically a god to you and talking with them for a half an hour every week about your team, your performance, what you’re doing right, and what you could improve on is the best thing in the entire world. Whether it’s constructive criticism or applause on a great week, knowing you have someone to go to with help and advice is not only comforting, but straight up awesome.
5. There is no other job like being an Editor
There are trials. There are setbacks. There are weeks where you wonder if you’ll even scrape by with three articles. But there are also days when one of your creator’s articles goes viral. There are benefits such as seeing not only your team growing, but yourself growing as well. Even though being an editor is not an easy job by any means, I think we can all agree that we would not trade it for anything else in the world.
