COLUMN: This column isn’t for you
I’ve written my final Statesman column hundreds of times in my head.
Some previous versions would have gone very well, with a photo of me giving a double-fingered salute to various entities I’ve interacted with during my time at Utah State, while others might have sounded like tear-filled speeches behind an awards podium.
I always imagined myself finishing college with a prestigious job lined up, all ready to move my brilliant trophy wife and one-and-a-half children to sunny California where we spend our weekends watching baseball from our stadium box suites: Let me tell you, the Tavin in this scenario looks devilishly good with that thick beard, flashy suit and leather briefcase.
The real Tavin doesn’t have anything in that scenario. Maybe that’s because I’ve never been all that great at planning, or maybe that’s because I’ve always played life by ear. Maybe it’s because that life wasn’t meant to be, or maybe it’s out of reach because I’m just plain not good enough for it.
At any rate, I find myself forced to re-write the chapters in my life story that didn’t quite go according to plan.
But composing my thoughts now isn’t as difficult as I anticipated, and I think it’s because I’ve decided I’m primarily going to write to myself.
So here’s to you, Past Tavin: Thanks for all the times you decided to joke around and make life more fun than being that autonomously rigid fun-sucker who sucks the life out of the newspaper. I’m glad you made that decision to change: Life has been a lot less tense and a lot more enjoyable since.
Here’s to you, Near-Future Tavin: Keep your chin up in the job search. I know it wears on you to hear of so many newspapers folding and laying off veteran reporters, and I know it wears on you even more when you read articles written by sports writers who can’t write or don’t know what they’re talking about, but remember what Past Tavin always says: Talent rises to the top. You’ll get there, kid. Just keep doing what you do.
Distant Future Tavin: Please don’t turn into that guy who nobody likes. Make sure you keep your faith, keep your charisma and keep your temper in check when it matters most. Be nice to your family – more nice than you think you need to. Thank those who do you a service, even small ones or when they’re not doing anything outside their normal responsibilities. Get up in plenty of time to cook breakfast, buy produce and please, please, please don’t be afraid to spend a little more for good food.
Dear Career-Man Tavin: Work smarter, not harder, and when the occasion calls for it, do both. Don’t take more than you can handle, but don’t be afraid of taking on more than you’re comfortable with. Be engaged in whatever you’re doing, wherever you’re doing it: Pay attention in the board room, but leave work at work. Delegate out of necessity and to help your staff grow, not just to pawn your responsibilities off on someone else. Treat interns like you wanted to be treated as an intern.
Present Tavin, congratulations on graduating. Please don’t mess it up in the next week by forgetting to finish one of the last two or three projects you have left. I know you’re looking for work, but keep in mind how your housing contract doesn’t expire until midway through the summer. You definitely need to find a full-time job in your field, but you should also enjoy that last Logan summer.
Lastly, to all those who helped me get here, thanks. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to string-write prep football at the Deseret News with no experience. Thanks for giving me a job as the sports editor at The Statesman as a sophomore even though the other applicant had more than three more years of experience than I did. Thanks for trusting me to handle the news desk despite never having written a breaking news piece. Thanks for the opportunity to be editor-in-chief during a tough transitional period.
And thanks for reading my stuff. Seriously, it’s the best feeling in the world for people to tell you they liked an article you wrote.
– Tavin Stucki is the editor-in-chief of The Utah Statesman. He is the only Utah Statesman employee to have won “Most Professional Journalist” twice in its 30-plus year existence. Send any comments to tstuckinews@gmail.com.