As the annual convention of the Iowa Newspaper Association approaches, one tends to reflect upon one’s experiences in the field of journalism. Then one wonders if they’ll have free ice cream sundaes again this year.

Although some venerable newspaper traditions continue – mainly criticizing management, but also fighting about whether to capitalize “loony” when placed in front of a public official’s name – the craft is changing dramatically. Rerunning old “Peanuts” cartoons has worked out so well, editors are thinking about getting rid of their remaining reporters and just reprinting stories about the invasion of Iwo Jima.

More important – in the old days, this would have read “more importantly,” but copy editors have been instructed to save ink by shortening words – the industry is scrambling to adapt to the Internet age.

It won’t be long now until you receive all your news via Twitter and Facebook, along with a “hyper-local” newsletter covering the events your unemployed neighbors happen to spot through their living room windows. Oh, you’ll still hear a little about Afghanistan, but only when Gen. David Petraeus finds time to send you a text.

I just hope there still will be a place for traditional journalists, those plucky souls who have a burning desire to learn, write, inform the public and avoid assembly-line work. They’ll find it’s an interesting way to make a living. Maybe not as much fun as knocking things down with a big backhoe, but interesting.

By the way, kids, an unconventional path adds a bit of perspective. If I hadn’t started out as an encyclopedia editor, I wouldn’t have so many fascinating facts about diverticulitis to share at dinner parties while the entrée is being served. I also learned about the art, architecture and history of Florence, Italy, but I don’t know – people can’t seem to get enough of intestinal disorders.

Then it was on to newspapers, starting with an intense education in the intricate subtleties of sports coverage, such as including the final score. The experience also honed my multitasking skills. I was covering a Marshalltown Bobcats baseball game one afternoon when Assistant Coach Brad Clement walked over and said, “Pollock, you’re the only person I know who can keep the scorebook, take pictures and talk to the umpire all at the same time.” Before I could hug him, he went on: “And do them all equally badly.”

Moments like that make you think that Clement could have been an excellent political columnist.

Then came feature writing, where I entered a coal mine, watched calves being born and interviewed Gov. Terry Branstad about his leisure suit. If only these things had all happened on the same assignment, this “Pulitzer” tattoo might have made more sense. (To be clear, this was back in a much earlier Branstad administration, when the big controversy was how to keep brontosaurs out of the corn.)

During a stint as a magazine editor, I learned that odd numbers in cover blurbs produce better newsstand sales than even numbers. Algebraic equations, however, just seem to make readers angry.

And all along I have learned how to operate one computer software package after another, even though all I actually do with them is type sentences – you know, like on a Smith-Corona.

Sure, my contemporaries who acquired actual knowledge in college are now retiring from lucrative careers, wintering in the tropics and desperately searching for places to store their extra BMWs.

But I’ll bet they never got to write an article about a really big tomato patch.

Jim Pollock is the editor of the Des Moines Business Record. He can be reached by e-mail at jimpollock@bpcdm.com