Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t a journalist. I wish I had an 8 to 5 office job with weekends off. I gave this a try before but it only lasted for less than three months.
There is no such thing as an 8 to 5 when you are a journalist. Yes, the job has very flexible timing but it is both a blessing and a curse.
When I temporarily said goodbye to the media line at the end of 2021, the things I used to whine about became the things that I longed for.
I missed attending functions and feeling like a robot after filing in news after news on a busy day. I missed the adrenaline of doing spontaneous “jolok” (getting comments on the spot) and chasing sources for a scoop.
Most of all, I missed seeing news stories with my byline plastered across the newspaper. On days when the newspaper pages were filled with news “BY SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA”, I would joke with my close colleagues and tell them, “the paper should be called New Sarah Tribune.”
After two months of serving as an administrative officer, I decided that I wasn’t ready to let go of life as a journalist. As a person who cannot sit still, I was always restless in the office. So I returned to the media line.
Whenever I am overwhelmed especially when I have backlogged exclusive stories to clear, I would remind myself that I love my job.
It is crazy how I came to love the pressure of chasing deadlines and keeping up to date with current affairs – these were the things that made me say goodbye to media life in the first place.
I think what I love most about my job is meeting new people and hearing their stories. With every story that inspires or moves me, I honestly take it upon myself to do the person justice by sharing his or her story through my writing.
This is something that I take pride in when it comes to doing my job. It gives me great pleasure knowing that the people I interviewed and wrote about appreciate my writing.
If you were to visit the State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba Sarawak) Headquarters in Tabuan Jaya, it is like a mini hall of fame for my work.
There are numerous displays of special reports that I have worked on highlighting the department’s efforts, initiatives and contributions to the community of Sarawak.
My short stint outside of the media line has given me clear perspectives of what I am passionate about, which is writing. Of course, I don’t think I am any good but I know it is something that I want to be good and the best at.
Based on my own experience, I would like to advise my fellow Gen Z to persevere in their respective working lives. There are going to be good and bad days. You will meet and have to work with difficult people regardless of which organisation you are in.
Things like these are beyond our control. What we can do and control is how we react and handle the difficult situations we are in or the difficult people that we have to deal with.
I know that this is easier said than done, but at the end of the day those who matter will recognise and acknowledge the hard work that you do.
In the long run, you will definitely emerge stronger and rise above. This may lead to better and brighter career advancement opportunities in the future.
I must admit that sometimes negative thoughts like “I’m not paid enough to do this” and “why is it always me?” do cross my mind in the heat of the moment.
Then I would come to my senses and think positively. Perhaps, I was entrusted with such tasks because my superiors believe that I can deliver even though I may beg to differ.
Oftentimes, we are unable to see our own full potential. I bet I am not the only one who is a victim of extreme self-judgment and self-criticism.
After all, we tend to be our own worst critics. We focus on what we believe we lack and we judge our own setbacks much more harshly than we would judge others’ challenges.
I think a moderate amount of this is good because it keeps us striving to improve and do better in whatever that we set our heart and mind on.
For this, I agree with publisher, editor and content creator Karen Renaldi who said: “Once we learn to stop judging ourselves, we can look upon our lesser talents with compassion.”
