Almost two years ago, I started writing for Odyssey. After a few short months, the Editor-In-Chief (EIC) at the time had asked me to become her contributing editor (CE). I did that for a couple months until she asked me if I wanted to be the EIC since she was going to be transferring schools. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I accepted the position, and I've been in it for a little over a year now.

Being an EIC has its ups and downs, but it is not for everyone. Since the anniversary of me taking the position just past, I thought I would share everything I've learned since taking the position.

1. People come and go.

In the past year, I have seen people join the community, not write an article, and leave. It's frustrating going through all that time and effort to get them to join the team, then they don't contribute at all.

2. It's way more work than I thought.

Before being the EIC, I was the CE, so the only thing I did was edit. Now, I wear many, many hats. I have to reach out to new people, get those people added, track down people to make sure they're submitting articles, have weekly calls with my CS (content strategist), set up meetings, edit, etc. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing when I first took the position, so all of this came as a shock to me when I started.

3. Some people will not communicate with you.

No matter how hard you try, you will get ignored. It can be from new creators or creators who don't have the motivation to write anymore and don't want to tell you.

4. It's frustrating.

I'm an EIC for a mid-size school, and Odyssey has been on campus for a few years now. Trying to find people to write is an uphill battle, and it is a huge headache. It's also super irritating when your team won't do what they're asked no matter what you try to do.

5. You meet tons of people.

Like I said, you have to reach out to people, and if they join, you talk to them pretty regularly. I've met so many great people since joining the community, and it's awesome. It's a whole bunch of people you would never have connected with if it weren't for Odyssey. I've also made friends from people who don't go to the same school as me. I have friends from all around the United States, and it's pretty cool.

6. You learn a lot about people through their writing.

People are very open in their writing. I know more about people's love lives, relationships with parents, their political views, etc. Since I have to edit their work, I get to see it all. I get to know my creators a little bit more each week, and I love it.

7. Your writing skills improve.

Ah, yes. I've been writing for Odyssey for almost two years now, and my writing has significantly improved. Not only does it help my articles, it helps with school, too. It's good practice.

8. You become more creative.

Honestly, I can pretty much come up with an article idea from about anything. I'll be having a conversation, and go, "That would make a great article!" I used to struggle a lot with ideas, and now they just come out of nowhere; I can't make it stop.

9. You are working 24/7.

This is a big one. All of my creators have my phone number. One of them is currently abroad, and another one just came back from being abroad. I used to get texts or messages from all hours of the night. Most of the time they're still texting me on around midnight or 1 AM.

Plus, I don't get weekends off. I may still have to edit or send emails over the weekends. The only times I am actually off is during big holidays, and that's because everyone isn't worried about Odyssey on that day.

10. Strangers ignoring you is actually super upsetting.

OK, yeah. I don't like admitting this one. It usually happens when someone requests to join, and if they don't answer, I get super sad. I have no idea who this person is, but I really want more people to join (more people is a good thing). Very disappointing when I don't hear back.

11. Getting emails are super exciting.

Emails are annoying, but some are very exciting. When an article starts with, "Good news!" you know it's something worth reading. Getting emails about someone requesting to join, or someone else submitting an article are two of the greatest things to read in the world.