I've always hated resumes that begin with the most recent job and work their way backwards. I always find myself flipping to the back page of such a resume and working forward, trying to see the progression (up or down) a prospective employee has taken. 

So, with that in mind, I'd like to begin by listing the various newspapers at which I've worked and when, starting from the beginning: 

• 1980, Intern, Sun-Press: As an 8th-grader at Golfview Junior High School, my first "professional" writing job came when I was asked to be a columnist by a local rag weekly, writing about the middle school. I wrote only a few times. (And somewhere in the midst of the many boxes in my closets, I have a copy of the first column.)
• 1982-1984, Intern, Town-Crier Newspapers: I had just graduated from 9th grade, and this was the first writing job I ever had where I got paid. The Town-Crier Newspapers were then the largest chain of weeklies in the state, and I wrote not only news and feature stories for them but also wrote a weekly column about Twin Lakes High School.
• 1984-1985, Intern, Palm Beach Post: As a high school junior, I was the youngest intern ever at the Palm Beach Post, covering general assignment duties. My very first story as an intern made it to 1A and was picked up by the Associated Press. (See my high school resume for complete details about high school achievements.)
• 1985-87, Staff Writer, Town-Crier Newspapers: After graduating from high school, I took a full-time job at the chain of weekly newspapers while attending junior college part-time (and serving as the editor of the junior college's newspaper). See my junior college resume for details of my collegiate career there.
• 1987, Almost Staff Writer, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel: As a junior college student, I was offered a full-time job at the Sun-Sentinel and was all ready to start until the Palm Beach Post called two days before my start date. (See next entry.)
• 1987-88, Staff Writer, Palm Beach Post: When the Palm Beach Post learned of my pending job with the Sun-Sentinel, the Post not only offered me a better salary but also offered to pay my scholarship to Georgetown University to its summer journalism internship program, providing Georgetown accepted me. (Georgetown University did, choosing me as its top applicant, meaning I got to choose which newspaper at which I wanted to intern. I chose the New York Times.) During my time at the Palm Beach Post, I covered Greenacres City, which was then the fastest-growing city in the country.
• 1988, Intern, New York Times: I interned at the Washington bureau of the New York Times for roughly two months during the summer of 1988. During that time, I got several small stories published, but my crowning achievement came when I got a 30-inch story and graphic published in the Science section. When my internship ended, the intern coordinator asked me to stay on, but I wanted to finish my college education.
• 1988-89, Staff Writer, Gainesville Sun: The newspaper hired me as a full-time staffer. I covered the police and fire beat in the afternoon and night while attending the University of Florida in the morning. My claim to fame during that time was being the first reporter on the scene to the now infamous Gainesville student murders.
• 1990, Staff Writer, Palm Beach Post: Growing weary of taking too long to finish college, I asked the Palm Beach Post if I could become its one-man bureau in Gainesville, allowing me to devote more time to class while covering stories of regional interest. The Post said "yes," and I began taking more classes while working for the Palm Beach Post and also writing for the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator. (See my collegiate resume for more details.)
• 1990-1995, Editor, High Springs Herald: After being The Post's 1-man bureau for nearly a year, I was named editor of the High Springs Herald, a small weekly newspaper near Gainesville. This would end up being one of the best moves I ever made. In the five years I was there, the paper would go on to become the most award-winning paper in the state and the second most award-winning paper in the country. (Check out the complete list of awards.) During that same time, I would go on to become the most award winning journalist in the state.
• 1995-96, City Editor, Charlotte Sun Herald: The fastest growing newspaper in Florida hired me on as its city editor. As city editor in the SW Florida county, I worked in the newsroom on a daily basis, handing out all stories, budgeting the paper and coaching writers.
• 1996-1998, Internet Editor, Sunline: While working at the Charlotte Sun Herald, the parent company, Sun Coast Media Group, decided to become in Internet service provider. During that time, the decision also was made to start an online community site. With years of Internet experience already under my belt, I was named editor of the Internet department, Sunline. With a stellar general manager and wonderful staff, the site became the first ever considered for a Pulitzer Prize. Further, the site took first place in the online competitions of both Editor & Publisher and the Newspaper Association of America. For a complete listing of all the awards the paper has won, go to: http://www.charlotte-florida.com/internet/winner.htm. For an idea of just what the sites encompass, look at the main site, the Charlotte County Community Pages.
• 1998-2003, General Manager, St. Petersburg Times Web Publishing: The St. Petersburg Times is the largest newspaper in Florida and is considered one of the five best newspapers in the country. As the general manager of the Internet department, I hired and managed the writers, editors, programmers and artists who helped produce the site on a daily basis. Under my leadership, the Website gained national prominence and grew pageviews dramatically, eventually outgrowing the Websites of all other newspapers in Florida.
• April & May, 2003, Consultant: During this time, I fulfilled a longtime wish of being a consultant and working with so many of the newspaper leaders I have met over the years. I still consult but not as often. Go here for my consultant services.
• June 5, 2003-Present, Editor, High Springs Herald: I went back to one of my original loves, being editor of The High Springs Herald. (See a few bullet points above.) Within three years, the paper returned to the #1 ranking it had lost the year after I had left the first time around. The paper now has a solid Website with more interactivity on the way.