Earlier this year I got asked to join Odyssey as a writer because someone asked my sister to join and she didn't have time, so she recommended me. As a double major engineering student I didn't believe I would have time but I thought I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write through and for such a large platform. I'm not artistic in any fashion and I can't do anything with music, but I love impacting people and making their lives better, and writing with Odyssey gave me a way to accomplish just that. After a couple months writing the next thing I know I was the school's EIC. While leading the team has brought it's fair share of frustration, I have enjoyed it and grown through it. I want to share my enthusiasm for this organization with you so here are seven reasons why I have loved my opportunity to work with Odyssey.
1. The opportunity to learn how to lead a diverse team and work to bring it together
One of the best aspects of being an EIC and a content creator is getting leadership experience working with a diverse team. The members of our team come from different backgrounds, each bringing their own wonderful and unique aspect to our team. Being someone who wants to go into management one day, being an EIC has brought valuable experience (Not to mention it looks great on a resume).
2. Growing my perspective and how I take things in
One of the things I have noticed since I began writing with Odyssey is the way I take in events and news has evolved. I can see that my opinions have become much more well founded and thought through, and I find myself constantly thinking about how I can reach people with my writing. I find myself being less judgmental and much more understanding of other's points of view.
3. The opportunity to learn from other EICs and see what makes them do so well
When you become an EIC you get put into groups with other EICs and frequently answer each other's questions and give advice. It has been a blessing to get to watch other college students (who I know have a million other things to do) pour their hearts into their teams and work creatively to make their teams very effective.
4. Getting to work with an A1 Managing Editor
And of course I can't forget my freaking awesome ME Ashlyn Thompson. A badass woman who brings a ton of energy and great motivation day in and day out, consistently being understanding of how we can't always put the time we want into Odyssey yet always pushing us to strive to be better.
5. Building something from the ground up
When I started at Odyssey I lost eight writers the first week. Four days in I had only three other writers, and that all happened during finals week. Now four months later we have 15+ writers and are always looking to grow and expand. Getting to be a part of and lead that transition has been a trying but very rewarding experience.
6. Working to create content that effectively reaches people
One of the hard things about writing with Odyssey is the struggle between creating what is important to you and what others will actually read. The thing I have loved is learning how to integrate the two. How to choose topics to write about that I can reach a large audience through sharing what's on my mind or on my heart. When I learned how to do both is when I really started to enjoy writing every week.
7. Best of all, getting to help others share their lives and hearts with others through their work
Without a doubt the thing I've loved most is getting to be a part of editing and publishing the content my team creates every week. These are really great people who are sharing their lives, some incredibly personal stories and experiences. They are using their life's journeys to leave a lasting mark on their readers (whether those be friends or strangers) which I see to be a very humble and unselfish process, spending hours of time trying to impact others. Getting to help them accomplish their writing goals has been by far the thing I've loved most about my Odyssey experience.
Sure, the complaints about Odyssey are numerous, but before you go bashing us realize we are just college students (many of us who's majors have nothing to do with writing) trying to make a difference with the best platform offered to us. We love what we do, and we will continue to do it.
If you have any interest in being a part of Odyssey, don't hesitate to contact me and we will get you plugged in!
Request an invite here (and make sure to choose the John Brown community!): theodysseyonline.com/apply
