It was a huge culture shock for me to leave an evolving newsroom in college and move into one where breaking a story online is delayed until it’s aired on television. The “people sitting in the big chairs” here still think of the site as a baby TV channel, which is why you’ll see our anchors proudly displayed atop every Web page.

The advice mentioned above is great. It’s tough getting picky when the economy is sticky, but aspiring journalists should thoroughly investigate a station’s (or paper’s) commitment to its online operation. They should also know it goes deeper than the news department. One should question management’s commitment as well, because in the end it’s a business, and a lot of those guys pull the strings.

DON’T ASK FOR PERMISSION. (Unless it costs a lot of money or could seriously damage the brand.)

Painful experience talking here: If you ask for “permission,” then often you have to get other managers involved. And then a committee forms. And then the idea gets changed and kicked around. Then someone decides they should call the company attorney. Then the bean counters chime in. And so it goes til you’re engrossed in a pit of despair…

Just do it. Use good judgment and execute quickly without eating up too many resources. You’re taking a risk, but more often than not, the pointy-headed bosses can’t say no to unquestionable awesomeness that’s already done. And once you pull off some good ones, you’ll earn trust and more slack.

If your idea is risky or uses large amounts of resources, that’s when you’ve got to manage up and find someone to champion you and the idea.