Purple Shirts, Congragulations, and Monster Trucks.

I've worked a lot of jobs in my days. Ok, maybe not a lot. But more than a couple. These jobs have ranged from sports writer, to media operator, information desk worker, sports writer (again) and more. But really, none of these jobs have required me to be in charge of anyone. Of course, I've had tasks and projects where I supervised, but none of my job descriptions really made me a leader.

That all will change in a big way this fall. In two weeks actually. The first leadership job I have is an NSO Leader. In short, this means I will guide college freshman during their first 48 hours on campus. I'll show them around school, give advice for their first year, and generally introduce them to college life.

On the surface, it may not sound like much. But I'll have a group of a dozen or more kids (some will probably even be older than me) whose start to their college experience is heavily influenced by how well I lead them. I'm freaking myself out just thinking about it.

Next up, I'm the sports editor at The Sojourn. A step up from the staff writer I was last year. In this position, I write a column every week, come up with the stories that will be published, and edit the ones that I have turned in by the writers, as well as help design the page itself.

Me? Edit stories? The guy who has to have spell check the word "ridiculous" almost every time I write it? That's, well... ridiculous. I have ideas and I'm very excited about this year at the newspaper, but that doesn't calm all of my nerves about stepping up into this position.

My third official job for this school year is the news and sports director at the radio station, 94.3 The Fortress. Being on air for the station is easily one of my favorite things to do, and I have confidence in myself that I can do it well. But this year, I will also be responsible for doing daily news updates.

I've already had a taste of what this job will be like, and I know I can do it. But when you throw all of these things together, that's how it will become interesting.

Here's the important part: I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will love all three of the jobs I am taking on for my sophomore year of college. And I love the people I will be working with as well. If this weren't the case, I wouldn't be able to do it all. But because I take joy in the things I do and the people I am with, it'll make dealing with the sleepless nights and long hours easier to deal with. I'm not saying it's going to be a walk in the park by any means, but I will love every minute of it.