I wear shorts and sandals to work in an office a block from the beach and can hear the ocean's roar whenever I get in my car to go see accounts. It's a great gig, in a relaxed atmosphere that's nearly peerless in its charms, perks and general low-key/set your own hours, no sweat kind of way. People should be envious – I would be ... if I didn't have this job already. In 30-plus years of newspapers, I've done everything except deliver them/throw them on lawns (did I just confess to never having a paper route as a lad? Answer: Yes. Further: Who cares?): that's write news, edit news, photograph news, and even do news broadcast (radio). Trust me, this side of the fence is way, way more fun (far fewer self-important people, too).

Art-Linked Letters started in November 2001, handling advertising – purchasing and production (for print and radio and television platforms) – for clients in the south Jersey counties of Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May. As of 2005, we took on video production as one of our services, and have produced web videos for various organizations.

Working in the fast-paced environment of a wire service, you can be a general assignment reporter one day, broadcast writer the next, then fill the bill as a supervising editor after that. Or pinch-hit writing sports, and turning out business stories, too. Hands-on multi-tasking, shifting on the fly with speed and good judgment, sometimes learning as you go along when you're tossed into the breach. Been there, done it.

Went from reporter to copy editor to section editor. Built a foundation, understanding and know-how of print design and production along the way.