Meg Zanetich: Freelance At Last

On Sunday morning, Meg Zanetich left her house with a notebook, a pen, and an agenda – cover the Boy Scout pancake breakfast.

“Yes, the riveting journalism of the Hudson Valley,” she joked. “Hey, I take what I can get!”

Zanetich, 24, graduated from SUNY New Paltz this August with a degree in journalism. She is now freelancing at two publications in the Hudson Valley.

The Orange County Sentinel, a bi-weekly newspaper that serves eastern Orange County, is her hometown newspaper. She got the job just last month, but has been freelance writing and editing for New York House magazine since August.

“In the writing world, there are no full-time jobs,” she said. “It’s frustrating trying to find work, but you just have to build yourself up.”

Her degree, she said, taught her not only how to work harmoniously between two very different publishing worlds – magazine and super-local newspaper – but also how to be a team player.

“I learned how to work with people,” she said.

What college didn’t prepare her for, however, was the breadth of editing skills she would be required to have.

“I was applying for a job today, for an editorial position, and I had to take this three-hour editing test,” she said. “It threw me for a loop … it was extremely difficult.”

For graduating journalism students, Zanetich recommends being an early bird.

“Don’t wait until you graduate to start sending out your resumes,” she cautioned. “Send them out as soon as you can, or you’ll be waiting to get a job.”

You can link to other stories below. And hey, keep your heads up, seniors.

Mitch Scott graduated from New Paltz last May, and is already teaching English at LaGrange Middle School.

Anilsa Nunez, who graduated in 1995 with a degree in radio and television performance, is now assistant dean of students and director of residence life at St. John’s University.

Ivey Haber has been wearing many hats since she graduated in May 2009 with an interpersonal communications degree. She’s a freelance art production assistant,  set designer for film and TV, and a jewelery and makeup designer.

Katie Koch was a communication disorders major who graduated in December 2009, but now she is a preschool teacher assistant in Coram, N.Y.

Alex Storozynski has what nearly every journalism major wants: a Pulitzer Prize. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science.

Emily Atkin

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