Yknow I'm glad it took me nearly two years before I became a reporter. I mean it's only been one month into the job, but I realise just how much a person must be able to withstand and tolerate for a job like this. If I had come in dewy-eyed and bushy tailed as a fresh graduate and wanted to save the world using my skills of reporting, I think I'd suffer badly. I used to think I had the means and energy to do a heck load, but I realise reporting can take a toll on my health - mentally especially - if I push myself too far and too hard. It takes not only a lot of guts and determination to do the job well, it takes wit and a lot of interpersonal skills to survive. Yeah, you might say, "that goes for every other job right?" Thing is, for a reporter, it's necessary to have all of those qualities to even make the cut.

And sometimes, it's about working smarter, not harder. Especially when you have to work with tight deadlines, and tolerate abuse from everyone - your bosses right down to the man on the street. (thank god ive yet to experience any of this) The job requires a ton of mental resilience.

I also used to be very emotionally invested in my stories, but those two years have taught me to separate my self from the story. I used to want to feel a deep connection for my profiles and stories, but I realise, that it shouldn't be the case. At least not for every story and every person - not everyone deserves your care and good intentions. Firstly, every profile has their own narrative, but it's my job to let the reader come to his or her own conclusions. Secondly, a lot of time is wasted while I am too emotionally invested in a story because emotions can get in the way of professionalism - sometimes it's not about how I feel, who cares about how I feel? Think too much and the story gets warped.  Get the job done, that's the priority.

With that said, I often try to remind myself that I too, am human first. That I am not made of stone, that it's ok sometimes to feel strongly for a story or a person. And also, at the end of the day, it's humans that I'm interviewing - not profiles I use in my job.

It's hard to balance between the two. Being human and being journalist. Maybe that's why they say reporting is one of the top ten most stressful jobs hah