All the Answers

I may be the one in charge of the answer book, but Erin has all the answers in the newsroom. In addition to answering the phone and questions from walk-ins and other staff members, she took the time to answer a lot of questions I had about my portfolio--questions that have thwarted the minds of my professors and advisers--like what to submit for an editing sample and whether to use the actual newsprint or printer copy.

I've still got a lot of questions that need answers before I'm ready to become a writer. But I feel more experienced and educated after three days at the Tribune than I did after four years of college. My level of confidence has risen faster than a teenager's hormones at puberty. I can even hear the confidence and self importance echoing in my clunky, swaggering footsteps.