For those who graduate from college and don’t know what to do with themselves but know they like to write — work for a community newspaper.

Working for a publication like the North Kitsap Herald teaches you just about everything you need to know about life. It’s on a smaller scale but the principles apply to all things, including government, community, industry and politics.

There is also learning how to navigate through the various experiences and unique personalities that reside here — the two things that make up the most of my memories in regards to writing about the North End.

Even to this day, after nearly four years, people always exclaim cool how my job must be, getting to cover so many different things. And it is — what other job could I come across that occasionally requires a work uniform of jeans and hiking boots and spending a few hours in the woods or on a boat and then writing about it?

I’ve dressed in full bunker gear with Poulsbo Fire Department and North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, a bee suit while doing a story on making honey, explored local beaches with seining crews, traipsed through the backwoods of North Kitsap for many “save the open space” stories, sat through what seems like a million evening meetings, jumped on a boat or two and navigated through the waters of Puget Sound, eaten more organic and homemade foods than I can count, learned a few lines of tribal ceremonial songs, been on the scene of incredibly destructive structure fires, and spent way too much time just driving around the back roads or quietly contemplating life and eating lunch on the driftwood at Point No Point Lighthouse and Park.

As for personalities — well, I know now the difference between a business owner, developer, environmentalist, activist, active senior citizens, artists, do-gooders, good Samaritans, anonymous sources, heads-up sources, who’s easy to get a hold of and who isn’t, who would help me out and who wouldn’t give me the time of day.

Needless to say, coming from the suburbs of Ohio, living and working in Kitsap has been an eye-opening experience. And I’m extremely grateful for that. It’s been a place I talk about every week when I call the family on Sundays, telling them about the latest issue that has me fired up. Since Mom has been with me to a few meetings and events during her summer visits, she takes a special interest and follows up with questions about the people I have interviewed or on the outcome of a particular issue.

But the most moving thing I’ve learned is the power of community and the power of voice. It’s been fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) to see how projects have been saved or killed or made great strides in progress, just because people stood up and voiced their opinion. There were issues that maybe 10 people cared about or 100, but regardless, they impacted the community in one way or another. I know my outlook on life has changed after witnessing such energy.

I’m taking that energy with me into the next chapter of my life, as I move out of newspaper journalism and into the genre of public relations. As of Thursday, I’ll be working for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, doing public affairs work for the natural resources departments of local tribes, including Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish, plus Lower Elwha S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam and Skokomish.

However, my new office will be based in Little Boston, so the North End isn’t getting rid of me that easily. And I’ll still be in the area, either on a reservation or on the trail, with, of course, my jeans and hiking boots.