McSweeney’s feels y/our pain, too!
If you see a posting on the McSweeney’s online annex described as a “A GREAT JOB OPPORTUNITY”, you’ve gotta jump on it, huh? So what if it’s an unpaid internship and asks for 80 hours a week, with hours during weekends and holidays, you know you’ll have to pay your dues if you want to get your foot in the door in the media business, right? Then look at the “requirements” and “education” requested for the position–uh oh, it might be one of the few positions your average Ph.D. isn’t overqualified for. Check out some of these nuggets:
• At least three years working at a print publication. Celebrity weekly preferred, but not required. Senior writing position at the New York Times and/or Us Weekly, a plus.
• HTML experience REQUIRED. Candidate will be expected to write and post eight-to-ten 2000 word articles per day for our online site, including weekends and ALL major holidays. (Hey, not even Post Academic can work at this rate!)
• Ideal candidate should also be able impress executives with his/her ability to expertly handle company’s espresso machine. (Guess they missed Caroline’s memo banning the connection between grad students and coffee jockeys.)
And the kicker…
• Bachelor degrees in communication, new media AND political science required. Masters Degree in Filmmaking preferred. PH.D in Journalism, a plus. Candidates with a law degree will be given special consideration. (Maybe they’ll take a Ph.D. in English or History, instead? Maybe?)
Oh, so the whole thing is a joke, isn’t it? The sad thing is, the “Great Job Opportunity!” doesn’t read *so* much like a hyperbolic parody these days…
“A Great Job Opportunity!” by Kristina Loew [McSweeney’s]
Post Academic 