Similar to other major industries, Big Media is still undergoing a radical transformation. Regrettably, many employees within this industry are experiencing a profound impact, often negative, on their careers. Earlier today I learned that Booth Newspapers will be laying off 500 of its 1200 employees on January 2, 2012. That’s right, almost 50% of the staff. Booth Newspapers, based in Grand Rapids, owns eight newspapers in the state of Michigan, including the Saginaw News and Grand Rapids Press. While I’m fairly confident that journalism will continue to flourish in the digital age, I can’t help but wonder about the future careers of some of these former employees.

This unfortunate news has reminded me, once again, how important it is to develop new skills and pursue lifelong learning. Nothing is certain. The notion of working in one industry or for one company over the course of an entire career is no longer a reality. Change is constant and professionals need to adapt. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the average employee will work 10-15 different jobs over the course of a lifetime. Acquiring and refining one’s skills is an absolute must. The business model of the 20th century is obsolete. Looking forward, competition is no longer local; it’s global and it requires mastery of many rapidly changing fields. Empower yourself to take control of your career. Don’t let an industry or employee define you.

As a story, Detroit has been misunderstood, underreported, stereotyped, avoided and exploited for decades. To get it right, we decided to become stakeholders. Over the next year, we intend to flood the D-zone with journalists, photographers, videographers and bloggers from TIME and TIME.com, Fortune and Fortune.com, CNNMoney.com, Money, even Sports Illustrated… The hope is that through all these efforts, a narrative arc about Detroit will emerge over the next year that can somehow make a difference. While we do not intend to be cheerleaders or apologists, we do have a point of view: we want Detroit to recover and find its way into the future.

This is a curious project, and I look forward to reading The Detroit Blog to see what they report. It’s time some justice was served by Big Media for it’s distorted reporting on the city and region. Further, with a critical eye constantly upon us, perhaps those who seek to exploit local resources will be a little less inclined to do so. Perhaps.

On October 15, I will begin participating in the three-part, Detroit Orientation Institute training on all things related to Detroit and the region. Over 50 speakers will share information that will help “to improve the personal and professional knowledge of participants by providing background information on a myriad of topics.” The three session, Oct. 15, 22, and 29, are considered “off the record,” so unfortunately I won’t be sharing much on the trainings. I am looking forward to hearing, seeing, and learning more about our region through this intensive program.

Lastly, I’m really looking forward to participating in the inaugural TEDxDetroit event on Wednesday, October 21. According to its website, “This year, TED expands beyond its annual conference by seeding smaller, independent events throughout the nation, called TEDx. The first TEDxDetroit will emulate the spirit and ideals of the TED Conference.” I’m a huge fan of TED programming and I am really excited about these new, local events. I’m sure TEDxDetroit will be a success, and I am really looking forward to the exchange of ideas and the new networks that will be formed to bring about change in our region.

On a final note, I sure hope the Detroit Tigers will be joining us this October by sticking around for the playoffs!

- Devon Akmon

There were several things that made this program a success. First, we had a great cohort. The group was diverse and represented many different areas from within the nonprofit sector. This afforded great discussions and a wealth of information sharing.

Second, the themes covered were very pertinent to our day-to-day work. Topics we explored included leadership of the self, staff and board; ethics; budgeting and accountability; diversity in the workplace; lobbying and advocacy; fund development; communications and marketing, human resources; and volunteer management. I found the last session, which focused on developing a professional development plan, to be highly useful. I suspect I will be spending some time in the coming weeks creating my own plan. This will include updating my resume, creating a personal portfolio, planning goals and relevant measures and, hopefully, developing additional pages on this site to feature my work.

Further, the three sections on leadership were very informative. Often, communication is a major barrier in life. These sections provided sound advice on working with different personality types, as well as strategies for developing an effective leadership style. I am hoping to put many new ideas into practice.

Lastly, I would be remiss to not comment on the organization of the program. MNA did an excellent job of finding qualified and engaging speakers. Further, the facilitation of the program was two thumbs up. I have already recommended this program to a few colleagues at work. I hope they consider applying.

As with most professional training programs, our cohort promised to keep in touch. I hope this new network follows through on that commitment. I think we have a lot to offer one another. The plan is for MNA to create a LinkedIn group for alumni. Hopefully this will be up soon.

- Devon Akmon