Final column blues

And so, this is it.

After three years and a little less than 100 columns, I have exhausted my time as an editorialist for the Indiana Daily Student.

So what is there left to say exactly?  Well, I’ll start out by extending my thanks to everyone for reading. While writing exclusively for the comments and page hits on idsnews.com is a poor way to measure your worth, it always brings some brightness to my day. And I will miss the anxiety I get after publishing when I go to look at the feedback, even if it just turns into a flame war most of the time.

There certainly is an apprehension that carries along with every column that goes to print. How will people feel about these opinions? Was that the right diction use? Does anyone even care?

But at the end of it, you come to realize that none of that really even matters. It’s just you, some biases and the word processer at the end of the day. After all, everyone has an opinion. I’ve just been lucky enough to have a bully pulpit with which to spout my sentiments during the past three years.

So my thanks then goes as much to the IDS. It is here at this student media publication that I have honed my craft and furthered my talents, serving not only as columnist, but opinion and web editor as well.

And teetering on the edge of the college world and the real world I do feel somewhat prepared, not just from what I’ve learned in class, but from the experience I’ve gained working at a newspaper. It’s something I suggest to any underclassman — go forth and write. Sure it’s a dying industry, but it’s still good for the soul and your résumé.

And I really can imagine no better practice for the career that I might one day begin once (if?) the economy reorients itself.

Being an opinion columnist has forced me to churn out intelligible 500-word arguments once a week, and if I do poorly I end up on the receiving end of hostility. Trust me, it’s worse than a bad grade.

But what’s more, it has encouraged me to follow current events and come to terms with those who have a difference in opinion. It has introduced me to some of the most passionate people I’ve ever met and helped me reaffirm the things I really believe in.

So now that my time at the IDS is up and I no longer have a place to insert my opinion, I’ve got to wonder: What’s next?

Well, I guess I can always start a blog.

­— danfleis@indiana.edu