Run for Felix Editor!

Elections are here once again. It seems like only yesterday I was putting my name down for Felix Editor and hoping someone seconds me.

I thought I would give some advice for those thinking of running for a sabbatical position in the Big Elections. It applies for all of the positions, but especially applies to the sabbaticals.

First up: are your intentions ‘pure’ for the lack of a better word? If the reason you are running is something along the lines of “I don’t have a job and want something good to put on my CV”, then don’t bother. Yeah, just because you want a good CV doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be good, but it does mean you are unlikely to really go above and beyond the position and give your all to it. Especially when you’re in the depths of a massive all nighter and what you are doing could affect a lot of other people. Think of it in this simplistic way: would you want a pilot to be not really paying much attention and just hanging about while landing the plan you’re on?

If you are considering running for Felix Editor: go for it! It will be the best year of your life, I can guarantee that. I’m not just saying it. Actually, I’m even telling you that at a time when my stress level is through the roof (near the deadline). It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s also a lot of fun. What follows is a brief rundown of what life is going to be like if you become Felix Editor.

Fun. That’s the one word I’d use. I know using the word fun makes it sound like a crap corporate marketing scheme and/or something you were told to trick you into doing science, but it’s true. The Office has a great atmosphere, and you get to impose your music tastes on everyone.

Amazing opportunities. You get to do really cool things like go to the BBC studios to interview someone, design an entire newspaper from scratch (how many people can say they did that?), learn how to use loads of software, learn how to squint at a screen – sorry, you’re an Imperial student, you know that one already.

Hard work. You’ll essentially move into the Felix Office. Luckily I don’t live too far away, but some Editors are forced to sleep in the Office. Wednesday will involve a massive push to get the paper done. Then, on Thursday (the day I’m writing this on), you will be at it (not in a fun way) every single waking second. Even popping to the JCR for a sandwich of questionable quality will be filled with work: you’ll be thinking of what you need to get done when you get back.

Stressful. Yep, there will be some hair loss. Sorry. The role has some sides you don’t think about. The ever approaching deadline. Not to mention the financial and administrative side of the paper – you have to make sure to balance the books – that are generally pretty well hidden when people read it.

Mistakes. Loads. Trouble is that it’s different now. Before, you could just fuck something up and nobody would notice. Now, there are thousands of hard copies to remind you about it. So, get ready to mess things up every now and then. Be prepared to learn from your mistakes and say “MUST TRY HARDER NEXT TIME”.

There’s not enough space to be comprehensive here. There are some downs, but the ups are so up that they definitely outweigh the bad sides.

So here is some advice for your campaign. To make a manifesto just think about what sort of stuff you would like to see in Felix and what tone you want it to have. Be realistic, but don’t be boring. Be bold in your aims; you may not reach them, but you can get close. If you have an idea and want to know if it’s feasible, talk to me to see what I say. You can always ignore my advice. Standard stuff applies: get a nice poster, website and flyers designed. Print everything out in good time (trust me).

If you are considering running, please just drop me an email at felix@imperial.ac.uk, and we can meet up for tea and have a chat about what it’s like.