"Getting out of the business" resource thread

Oh, you have to go hard for that job. Good luck!

 

Just found out I wasn't selected for a media relations director job with one of the conferences around this area. Of course, I never got an interview.

I wonder if it's time to pack it in.

 

First-time poster, long-time lurker seeking some sound advice. Any and all direction/insight would be greatly appreciated.

But first a quick background: I graduated from a well-respected J-school a few years back after paying my own way through and finishing rather late (25 years old). I've done just about everything recommended during that time. I have more than nine years of sports journalism experience in print/digital arenas (college newspaper editor, lengthy internship at major metro, reliable contributor to a pair of large daily newspapers for the past two years). I also currently hold a full-time position at a major media corporation in a prominent city. But the position is more heavily involved in sales.

My predicament: After passing on several small-town sports reporting gigs within the last year, an opportunity very recently appeared that has given me a reason to pull the trigger (livable salary; good, albeit small area, etc.). The issue I'm facing is that I'm in a long-term relationship, and my other half has no desire to move away from our current city/state. Also, my current full-time job has plans to promote me come the end of this year (higher pay, travel, etc.).

My dream, though, like countless others on these boards, has always been to become a FT sports reporter for a newspaper. Every facet of the process motivates and excites me. It's undoubtedly my passion. But I'm also realistic. I know the industry is constantly in flux. I know the landscape will be completely different in five years than it is today.

My question is simply this: Is it worth taking the risk at this point?

 

Let's see:

Option A: Have good paying job with a promotion in sight in an area with a long term girlfriend.

Option B: work in low paying job with no promotions promised in an industry dumping people left and right, and in an area in which your girlfriend doesn't want to move to, meaning you'll either be living with an unhappy girlfriend, having a long-distance relationship (those usually work out great), or find yourself single and ha very little time to find a new girlfriend because you'll be spending your nights typing in JV swimming agate.

Yep.

 

In a word: No.

It sounds like you have a pretty sweet set-up where you are now. Good job at which you can move up, living in a big city, long-term relationship that you care about maintaining. I'm sure there are many who are stuck in positions like the one you covet who would trade places with you.

Before I got out of the business, my job was my passion. Like you, I enjoyed everything about the work itself - the writing, the editing, the page layout, the interviewing, all of it. Obviously the job left much to be desired, namely pay, benefits, reliability, upward mobility. But the work was great.

I've been out of the business for about four years now. I work in content marketing in a prominent city and wouldn't go back to journalism minus a gun pointed to my head. It took some time after I was let go, but I realized that I needed to stop viewing my job as my passion. My life is now my passion. I have nights and weekends to spend with my friends and family. I have time/money/energy to maintain a stable and fulfilling relationship. I am healthier than I have ever been. I can afford to take trips that don't require me to spend time in a press box. I'm finally enjoying my life.

Then again, if I had given myself this speech when I was entering the business, I would have said "shut up, old man."

 

Thanks for the input guys! TyWebb, I think the thing I'm struggling with the most is letting go of sports journalism as a whole. My current position, while it pays well enough, is monotonous and is a job in every sense of the word. The enthusiasm and excitement just isn't there. Is it nice to have a little (I stress the word "little") extra money and nights and weekends off? Sure, but it's eliminating any opportunity for me to implement my greatest strengths.

When you left journalism, how did you fill that creative void?

I guess I'm just concerned with giving up on my dream.

 

Wilj,

You have a job. A job is work. You don't have to love it. I did the sports writing/editing thing for a lot of years.

Really enjoyed it. But 60 hours is probably the average. Hours are screwy. Pay is so-so.

Almost everyone who has left the business is happier.

My job now is not exciting. Not so creative. But I go home at 5 and I can see my family and plan the weekends.

If you can't stop the creative urge and writing bug, do freelance writing; start a blog, write a book.

I am fixin to start a blog soon myself.

Good luck.

 

There are ways to scratch the sports journalism itch and still work a normal job with a normal life. You have to find it.

 

As expendable said, there are ways to feed that urge. They just might not come from typing up until a deadline or breaking a story.

Personally, I do a few things to fill that creative void. Fortunately, I'm still working in writing, so I get to be creative there. Plus, I do some freelance work during high school and college football seasons. Also, after I got out, I started writing TV and movie scripts, just for shits and giggles. It was something I always thought about doing but never had the time or desire to. The last thing I wanted to do after churning out a couple thousand words on a high school football team was write more.

I totally get where you are coming from. I was there. I couldn't imagine walking away, especially after I had already invested so much time and effort into developing a career. But while my job isn't as engaging as my old one, the rest of my life sure as hell is.

 

Thanks, Ace and Expendable. Appreciate the insight.

By no means am I ungrateful to have a job....especially in this environment. If I came across as whiny, that wasn't my intention. I'm thankful every day.

This proposed opportunity just has me thinking it may be my last shot, and I don't want to look back a decade from now and wonder what might have been. I'm freelancing right now for two major metros in the area and have plans for writing outside of "conventional journalism," so the creative aspect is still there. I just imagined, after college, internships, PT work, etc. in journalism, I wouldn't call it quits so soon.

 

You are no different than the rest of us. We all hear the Sirens' call from time to time.

 

I didn't mean to sound like you were whiny.

Don't look at it as calling it quits so soon. Look at it as moving on with your life ahead of the curve!

Seriously, some of those entry-level sports writing/editing jobs can swallow all your time easily. But if you move on from them, you could get a college beat and work every day as well!