Mid-Summer Daydream

Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting at your desk; your hands are on the keyboard of your computer and, suddenly, you realize you’ve been sitting there a long time — typing nothing but thinking a lot, about all sorts of things!

This happens to me occasionally, most often when the days are longer than usual and deadlines seem further apart. It happens most often when I am less pressured to finish something or get up and go somewhere. It happens, most often, smack dab in the middle of the summer!

During these times, wistful thoughts surface, and I find myself reminiscing about the “good old days.” I think often about how much our industry — print media — has changed over the years and how fast it will continue to change. I think often about how many pairs of track shoes I’ll need to keep up.

When I graduated from college (in journalism), jobs were plentiful. There were newspapers and magazines, of all sizes, thriving all over the country. Thus, getting my first job in my field of choice was easy. All it took was a degree from an accredited college and a decent GPA.

I think about the two college students who are working here this summer as interns. Both are majoring in print journalism. Both will be looking for their first jobs nine months from now. I wonder, “What will their paths be? What will the future hold for them?”

I have no doubt the printed word will survive, and fine writers will always find work and be appreciated. But, their words will, no doubt, appear less often on paper. Okay, if reading books and newspapers (and magazines) online and on our iPads is the wave of the future, we publishers will adjust and provide those options.

But then, I wonder, what about printers? How will they adapt to the changes in their industry? Surely, they too, are looking forward and making adjustments?

I wonder about some of my friends and the industries they work in. I hear often, “Things will never be the same. Work is more difficult than ever. People just aren’t as interested in what we do as they used to be.”

I wonder if they too are willing to adjust to the changes in their industries. Will they be willing to learn new technologies, alter their products or services, target a new market and, in some cases, consider creating a whole new business?

These are not the types of daydreams I like. I would much prefer to be staring at my computer in deep thought about a vacation in Italy, India or Indonesia, but this is not the time.Today, we must heed the warnings of the midsummer daydreams of 2010 and embrace the messages they hold. To do otherwise, I think, could be dangerous and distressing, nothing short of a nightmare.