EliteXC

Man... the closing of EliteXC means two different things. As a fight fan I saw it coming and I cannot say I am that mad about it. The fights for the most part were garbage and I might go far enough to say they were fixed. The fighters were protected (Carano and Kimbo). So as a fan who knows and respects the game I cannot be too sad about the folding of EliteXC. I can, however, be sad that EliteXC was the only prime time demonstration of MMA. The organization had the opportunity to bring the MMA game to people who cannot afford to buy paper views, buy tickets to events or run up a tab at the bar, however; they failed miserably to bring an intelligent and well thought out game plan to the public. As a female fighter though, I am uneasy. EliteXC was the only current organization to offer so many women a contract and opportunity. And we all know the UFC will not afford women the same opportunity. First of all there is no sense in arguing with Dana White because he would not listen and he has some valid reasons for not putting women on the card. So, the fact remains is everything is ridding on the AFL to come through and give women the deals that EliteXC did. OR maybe no one will give women the shot they deserve and everyone will blame the amount of women in EliteXC on the folding of the organization.

Digital Journalism Hobby Story

Some people have hobbies they love and enjoy. Some people dislike their jobs and or careers. Why not turn a hobby into a career to love and enjoy?

Twenty-five year old Oakland University business student Jon Aniano has turned his childhood hobby of playing with computers and the Internet into a career. Since 2004 he has worked at Active Media Architects, an Internet design company. His current job title is chief operating officer.

"I was roughly 11 years old when I began working on computers," said Aniano. "Back then, computers weren't so "turn key." They quite frequently "broke" and were costly to fix. I quickly became adept at troubleshooting hardware and software issues, mostly by trial and error with a few costly and explosive mishaps, until I was comfortable tackling larger and larger computer projects."

According to a Monster.com article, there are a few things to decide before turning a hobby into a career path. First and most important is to decide how marketable the hobby is. The hobby has to be researched to see if the revenue it can offer can support the cost of living.

Monster.com also suggests thinking through the idea of your hobby taking over every minute of everyday. They suggest that sometimes hobbies are not as interesting when turned into a full time career.

"I will definitely continue to go to school to grow myself as a person and to add value to myself as an employee," said Aniano. "But, I will definitely strive to keep computers and the Internet a major part of my lifetime employment. I ultimately would like to help make an impact on the way people or businesses use and interact with computers and the Internet - wherever that takes me I will go."

According to Olivia CrosbyÕs "Turn your Hobby into a Career" on Jobjournal.com turning a hobby into a career is often an exercise in critical thinking.

Recent Eastern Michigan University journalism graduate and Specs Howard School of Broadcasting graduate Paul Cicchini, 24, loves listening to sports talk radio and writing. He also loves and knows facts about most sports. Cicchini decided to get his degrees in order to turn his sports obsession into a broadcasting and writing career.

"When I first heard Jim Rome in 2003 I knew I wanted to be on the radio," said Cicchini. "As for writing, I always liked writing, but it wasn't until 2004 that I decided to study journalism."

Cicchini is on his way to turning his dream of sports reporting into a reality.

"I work for Mentor Partners; it's a small radio group," said Cicchini. "One day I hope this radio gig, or one in the future leads to bigger things. I want to write a newspaper column, have a sports talk radio show and be on TV."

Crosby also insists that pursuing a hobby as a career must be looked at as an adventure. Seeking this career path may be a failure, which is why Crosby suggests thoroughly researching the options the hobby presents.