Being young is great. Your body bounces back from injury. You can stay up past 8:30 p.m. (lookin’ at you, Dad). But with youth comes its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to entering the working world. Doe-eyed and bushy-tailed, we start our careers with little experience and a whole lotta hope. We navigate power dynamics, self-doubt, and new styles of communication. And for many young women, these challenges can be exacerbated twofold. (Thanks, gender politics!)
When I started at Grist in February, I doubted myself — unsure of not only what I was doing, but of what I wanted from my career. Fast forward almost a year, and the moments of doubt are seldom(-ish) and I (mostly) know what I want. And that is thanks, in part, to Grist, which subsequently means, in part, to you.
I’ve been given the space and opportunity at Grist to build a confidence that I hadn’t expected when I took this job. Managers and colleagues alike have encouraged and supported me as I took on roles that challenged me. As a young woman at the start of my career, I couldn’t have asked for better.
Your donation to Grist helps build and strengthen an environment of learning so that we can continue to provide you with the best environmental and climate change journalism out there. Beyond that, your donation goes towards fostering a respectful and open-minded workplace, where young people like me can come to perfect their craft and find their footing in this warming world.
Since January, Grist has hired 13 women in roles for everything from reporting and writing to membership and audience. Eight of the 13 are under the age of 26. That’s about one-fourth of our entire staff.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a newsroom like Grist. But, sure, I’m biased. I work here. My friends work here. My mentors work here. But when you know, you know. You know?
Here’s to young women getting it done — at Grist, and elsewhere.
Annelise McGough
