Full Time
Young broadcasters often ask me, ‘How can I do what you do?’ My answer has often been quick and unexpected: “Get a Job.”
Being a freelance broadcaster doesn’t mean that you are exclusively a broadcaster. In an ever-expanding industry that provides increased opportunities to call sports, the work is there but the livelihood in many cases is not. Working 9-to-5 affords many the luxury of also “working” 7-to-9 that night. That was the path that I chose when graduating from college and deciding to pursue my dream in the unconventional way.
In 2006, as my broadcasting career was at a crossroads, I was also in pursuit of a new “day job” that would provide balance. Somewhat serendipitously, I stumbled across an opening at the headquarters of my Fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. From alumni development to communications and, for the last three years, in a part-time role as manager of the quarterly publication, I’ve worked for Phi Psi for nearly a decade.
This wouldn’t have been possible without incredible co-workers and bosses, including Shawn Collinsworth, who hired me under the promise that he would support me in my pursuit of a full-time broadcasting career. He never wavered from that promise, affording me the opportunity to work from the road as my travel for broadcasts turned extensive over the past five years.
Choosing between two full-time jobs, even if one is your dream, is never easy. Double salaries are nice, and the people are better. Now, the time has come for me to say goodbye to a great partnership. I will still write on a freelance basis, as I do for a few other clients. Without Phi Psi, I wouldn’t be the broadcaster I am today. Thanks for the memories!
Will Haskett 