I apologize for not posting anything in the past several months. It has been a very busy time in my life. However, I plan to change that — starting now.

However, first, please indulge me as I fill you in with what you may have missed.

The past has been about change. If it were a chapter in a book, a potential title would be “transitions.”

Since leaving FOX News in May, 2009, I completed the majority of course work needed to earn a masters in Interactive Communications from Quinnipiac University. It has been an eye-opening experience — and has connected me with some inspirational people.

While working toward my degree, the Connecticut Post, a Hearst Connecticut-owned newspaper, was generous enough to take me in. I have been working there four to five nights a week as a part-time copy editor and page designer. In addition to working on Post pages, I have also had the opportunity to work with editors and reporters from Hearst’s other Fairfield County entities, namely The Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time and Danbury News-Times. Folks are putting their hearts and souls in these papers, and if you have the opportunity to read one, I highly encourage you to do so. In addition to working on the copy desk there, I have also written technology pieces. You can check out my blog, Tech Talk, here. It is updated daily, and so I hope you check it out often — and offer suggestions and potential topics.

In addition to the Hearst properties, Quinnipiac generously offered me a graduate assistantship. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting a few dozen of the Hamden-based university’s best and brightest students, faculty and members. I was delighted to write about my experiences that have been used across numerous platforms.

Well, the graduate assistantship worked out so well it has become my next adventure. Beginning Monday, I will begin a new job — as assistant director of public relations and social media at Quinnipiac. You heard it here first, folks. It is a position that promises to be as rewarding and enjoyable as it will be challenging and cutting-edge.  I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you here.

I have also been contributing to the Radio Television Digital News Association, a fantastic organization for journalism professionals. You can read some of my writings — as well as the perspectives of others — here.

And, speaking of journalism, I have continued my work with the great people of the Society of Professional Journalists. I am the vice president of the Connecticut pro chapter. If you are not yet a member, please consider this your personal invitation to join. The organization is composed of some really talented and great individuals. Particularly in a time of uncertainty in the industry, it is important to be part of such an esteemed and important organization. You can learn more about events happening in Connecticut here. Most of the events are free, so what are you waiting for?

OK, enough with the pitches. I look forward to continuing where we left off.

Oh, and if we’re not yet connected on Twitter, let’s do so.

Until next time, rock on.

Why I decided to go back to school

I have been asked why I decided to leave my national news post and go back to school to earn my master’s many times, and so decided to write about it in my most recent Connecticut Post column.

Take a look:

With the weakened economy has come an influx of adults who are going back to school.
Colleges across the country have reported an increase in applications for enrollment. Several friends and former colleagues who lost their jobs in the recession have turned to working toward advanced degrees in these murky economic times.

Some have made the decision because their positions have become obsolete and they are confronted with the necessity of developing new skills, while others are just looking to do something until the job market thaws.

But that’s not why I returned to Quinnipiac University last month, three years after earning my bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Although I was laid off from a news editor position at a major New York City news organization, I had successfully secured an even higher-profile one in the industry before even cleaning out my desk. In fact, I was even fortunate enough to receive a slight pay raise at the new job. So why did I willingly leave my national news post high above Sixth Avenue for a quiet classroom nestled beneath Sleeping Giant State Park?

After years of putting off pursuing an advanced degree, I finally realized it was time to pursue my master’s.

For several years, I have given increased thought to teaching full-time on the collegiate level — something that is not possible to do with a mere bachelor’s degree. And, while I recognize that I will eventually need to earn a Ph.D, I thought this would be a good first step.

I am still young. Heck, I still get asked for an ID when attempting to purchase R-rated movies at some stores. After years of hearing how difficult it would be to earn a master’s degree while working — and not to mention while raising a family — I recognized that this is the time to do it.

Journalism is a field that consumes my entire schedule. And so, I realized, it would be best to take a break from it as I pursue my degree. And, if I play my cards right, there will be an influx in hiring when I get out in December 2010 with a shiny new degree.

I am glad I made the decision to go back.

I am currently working toward a degree in interactive communications — which is essentially teaching me how to create, craft and present news in the emerging e-media world.

No longer can a journalist be simply print-focused, as I intended to be when I graduated in the spring of 2006; now a journalist has to be ready to tell his or her story in print, on air and online.

While I am doing more diverse academic work than I ever have before, I am also having the time of my life. As this is a still-emerging field, I am examining both theory and practice. It’s great.

Of course, I have not left the realm of communications entirely. The Connecticut Post has been gracious enough to offer me freelance copy editing and some reporting work as I pursue my degree, as well as a daily blog you could read at blog.ctnews.com/deloma.

While the future is uncertain, I feel much more confident knowing I made the decision to go back now with several years of professional experience while I am unmarried and without children.

Jamie DeLoma, a layout advisor to CTTeens, is a freelance journalist at the Connecticut Post, and a master’s student at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. You could read his blog at blog.ctnews.com/deloma.

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