Monday, January 12, 2015

Eleventh in a series 

The second annual “Women in Sports” career seminar, presented by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, will be held Saturday, Jan. 24 in Portland, Ore.

Designed for college and high school females interested in pursuing sports-related careers, the seminar will take place in the Georgia Pacific Room at Memorial Coliseum.

The event will feature panelists from a broad cross-section of occupational paths, including coaching, administration, business, marketing, media, media relations, NCAA compliance, sports medicine, ticket sales, and officiating. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with -- and seek career advice from -- a slate of experienced sports professionals in a round-table format. 

Below is a profile on a panelist who will be featured at this year's event.

Jamie Goldberg, The Oregonian
Sports Writer 

College attended:

• Pomona College -- B.A. in Politics
• University of California, Berkeley -- Masters in Journalism

College major:

• Undergraduate Major: Politics
• Graduate Degree: Masters in Journalism

Current position: Soccer Reporter/Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns beat reporter at The Oregonian

Years in current position: 1.5 years

Primary job responsibilities: I cover the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns for The Oregonian. I write a range of articles on a daily basis from short blog posts to longer, in-depth and researched pieces. While my primary responsibility is to cover the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns, I also write broader articles about Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League and the U.S. National Teams.

Things I enjoy most about my job: I have the opportunity to really define my own work. I pitch my own stories and pursue articles about soccer that interest me. This job gives me the opportunity to focus my time and energy on really getting to know two professional sports teams in-depth.

First job in the sports industry: This is my first full-time job in the sports industry, but I previously interned in sports media at The Oregonian, The Marin Independent Journal and KRON 4 News in San Francisco. I have also worked as a freelance sports writer in the past.

Previous jobs in the sports industry: This is my first full-time job in the sports industry, but I previously interned in sports media at The Oregonian, The Marin Independent Journal and KRON 4 News in San Francisco. I have also worked as a freelance sports writer in the past.

A key mentor who helped me on my career path: My supervisor at the Marin Independent Journal, Dave Allen, really helped me jump start my career. He pushed me to cover more difficult stories and pitch my own stories while at the Marin Independent Journal and helped me walk away from that internship with the clips I needed to get an internship at a larger newspaper the next summer and, ultimately, a job as professional sports journalist.

Most influential person in my early professional development (and why): My high school journalism teacher was the first person to push me as a journalist and really set a foundation for me on how to be a successful writer and reporter. After my experience writing for my high school paper, I became committed to pursuing a career in sports journalism.

How I got involved in my professional career: I played soccer and softball growing up and continued playing softball through college, so sports have always been a big part of my life. In high school I became the sports editor of my high school newspaper and just fell in love with sports writing. From there, I made a commitment to seek out sports writing internships in college.

Biggest hurdle I overcame breaking into the sports industry: To move up in the sports journalism industry, you really need to have a portfolio of articles that show your range and ability as a sports writer. I had to find the right internship that would give me the leeway to write in-depth and researched articles, so that I could take the next step in my career.

Key attributes that have helped shape my career path: I have always been very organized, persistent and willing to learn and continue to grow in my career.

Knowing what I know now, the one thing I would do differently in college to help me on my career path: I would look for internships that gave me the opportunity to build my portfolio, rather than settle for any internship in sports journalism. I've found, in my industry at least, that building a strong portfolio is key.

Best advice I’d give to a young female wanting to work in sports: Be persistent and don't give up. You may not immediately get your dream job, but you have the chance in college to work hard to get the right internships and put yourself in the best position to pursue the career that interests you.

Favorite sports team: San Francisco Giants

Favorite athlete: Jennie Finch

Most memorable sports-related moment: The first time I had the opportunity to cover a professional sports game was in 2010 when the Marin Independent Journal sent me to cover a San Francisco Giants game. It was a very exciting and intimidating experience to watch a game from the press box, interview athletes after the game and write a story on deadline. This experience really helped me grow as a journalist.