As I was growing up in journalism, I had a lot of help. I launched my career in the late 1990s, working as an unpaid intern at Seattle magazine. Impressed with my dedication, my editors eventually promoted me to contributing writer and I began pulling in my first income in the field.
I moved back to Chicago in 2001, and landed my first full-time editorial position at a local horticulture magazine. For a year-and-a half, I honed my skills as a reporter and writer, and in 2003, I secured the associate editor position at Corporate Legal Times, now InsideCounsel. It was in that position, and subsequent positions with this magazine, that my career really flourished. I was challenged in my role, given increasing responsibilities and a strong sense of autonomy, and most importantly, I was nurtured by my editors.
