Got email today that pretty much said I really didn’t need to throw my hat into the ring for a news job.
I was ambivalent about the opening – one of many for a new religious news service – which sounded interesting, but I suspected I would turn out to be (a) too old, (b) too far out of the business, and (c) insufficiently Catholic. But I applied anyway, finessing my resume for the first time in almost a decade and submitting it to one of those faceless HR gaping maws that likes to send out “thanks, but we’re moving forward with somebody we like way better than you” emails. HR systems – and HR entities in general, I firmly believe – take great delight in crushing dreams.
Thing is, this was less of a dream of mine and more of a “nice to have” kind of fantasy. Honestly, despite the sometimes grueling workload, I’m fine with the job I have. If I can finagle a way to survive in it until possibly retirement age, great, because I don’t want to deal with one of those faceless HR gaping maws ever again.
Besides, I was beginning to have second thoughts about this job app when I realized I would need to behave myself online and avoid speaking my mind here (on the off-chance the Catholic News Media Thought Police found my blog). I already demonstrate a fair amount of restraint online, but I also looked things over and realized that I would really miss feeling free to vent and opine freely – a capability I would have to forego if I returned to the news business.
So, I’m jumping back online with a surprisingly happy sense of relief. At least I can stop trying to clean up my Twitter feed and go back to praising the occasional Protestant theologian again.