I like Vanessa Gezari's Poynter centerpiece, "Casting Off the Parachute," discussing the world of the freelance foreign correspondent.
There was a time in my life, many years ago, when I thought about pitching my worldly goods into a dumpster (which, at the time, would not have taken long) and heading to some foreign country to be a freelance correspondent. Of course, at the time I had no clue -- no connections, no passport, no idea of the difference between Deutsch and Dutch. It's probably a good thing for both me and the world that I didn't.
Now that I have collected a few clues, I also have collected a family and a mortgage.
Gezari has been there/done that, and her advice is:
- Do what scares you.
- Anticipate poverty.
- Be where others aren't.
- Learn your region.
- Be generous, not competitive.
- Write a sharp pitch.
- Be generous, not competitive.
- Be determined; be patient.
- When considering danger, ask tough questions.
Wait a minute. That's advice for all of us, isn't it?