Hey everyone,
In the interest of keeping you posted, I wanted to let you know that this will be the last installment of What's In Store - at least for now, as I'm leaving the Observer to go to law school in Chicago. My last day is Wednesday, so if you have any questions, comments or concerns before then, do let me know. I have so appreciated your readership, interest and feedback, and I will miss writing posts and stories and hearing your thoughts about them. It's also been great to meet and hear from so many merchants working hard to make a go of it in a tough economy. I am not sure how the powers that be here plan to fill my job going forward, so I can't immediately direct you to a successor, but our hope is that someone else will pick up the reins soon. If you have feedback or news about local retail in the meantime, please contact our business editor, Patrick Scott (pscott@charlotteobserver.com).
On a brief personal note, this decision did not come easy: It was agonizing and wrenching, and I'm still not sure I'm doing the right thing. I've loved journalism my entire life and still deeply believe in it. I'm thankful for my nearly six fascinating years here, and it's difficult to contemplate doing anything else. But sometimes, a person needs a change, and so it's with that in mind that I'm heading off for a new challenge - one that I hope will continue to allow me to write and work for good in the world. Only time will tell whether I've made the right choice, and I'm interested in finding out what awaits (aside from a mountain of student loan debt, which, alas, is a given).
Anyway, thank you again. We appreciate your readership, and I hope you'll continue to support my smart, dedicated, caring colleagues as they do their utmost to cover this community. We couldn't do it without you.
:-(
ReplyDeleteBest of luck...Hope you land on your feet.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. You will love Chicago!
ReplyDeletewell, well, i alway found your takes amusing... charloot is such a sick place...sort of like amway gone bizirk.. trying to tell an accurate story of retailing would certainly get you ran out of town.. i think it's ready to implode , like a black hole, into itself. laughable and deserving... nascar is an idiot magnet.. oh, the democratic convention is a trojan horse that will really hold some surprises... wish you well in chicotown, purfect followup to the crap you must havge seen.
ReplyDeleteJen, you're doing the right thing. Reach for the stars while you're young. Someday you will look back and be glad you did.
ReplyDeleteLarry
Congrats on being able to go to law school. Very exciting time for you I'm sure. We'll miss your blog posts, but look forward to maybe hearing from you again down the road. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with law school. You will love Chicago (tho the winters will take some time to get used to -- just be sure to get a warm coat!). I'm another Charlotte transfer who's been here for a while and it's great!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, and cherish your experiences with the Observer.
ReplyDeletehttp://JonRPatrick.com
Chicago is a wonderful city, though the winters are tough.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't say what law school. If it's not a first-tier law school, say University of Chicago, then start getting ready now for the difficulty in landing a job when you graduate. Since you'll have debt (quite common these days) you should start looking for a job right away. Many firms hire only from their summer interns and summer interns must usually be in the top 1/3 of the class (top 25% or top 10% is even better, of course) or have some other distinction. So class rank is critically important and after the first year (1L) the class rank is pretty much set, though there can be sleepers who come on strong 2L or final year.
Of course, if you have a relative who is a lawyer, that's a big help. I think you'll find that many of your classmates have relatives who are lawyers.
If this is what you really want to do, all best wishes and remember it's done in a scant three years. Plus, 3 years in Chicago should be exciting! :)
Best of luck Jen. Thank you for keeping us apprised always of the happenings on the retail scene and huge gratitude to you for linking to my blog Grocerying.
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