For those who've left: any regrets?

I'm in a strange place, mentally, this week.

I'm leaving the sports writing business after about a decade, all of which I've spent either at small/mid-sized dailies or, more recently, for online-only publications. I've only ever been a sports writer professionally, and I'm about to dive into business copywriting full time. I'm excited, because it's a new challenge and I'll reclaim weekends/nights/decent wages. But I'm also more than a little nervous for obvious reasons.

Just curious, for those who've fled the business amid the madness the last decade or so, how you feel about it now. Right decision? Any regrets? Just looking to be around some likeminded folks amid a fairly massive career shift. I will say this; it's hard to love a business that continues to fire your friends. I don't feel the same about it as I once did.

 

no regrets. I quit four years ago and now do comms for a large financial institution. All the benefits you outline will far outweigh the negatives. Moreover, you might find yourself actually enjoying sports in a newfound way -- as a form of entertainment you can watch while relaxing. For the last three years, I've also been blogging seasonally about the NFL, so if you still have that itch, there are opps to do it. All change is hard, but this is one change I feel confident in saying will be altogether beneficial. Good luck

 

Whatever the opposite of regret is, I have been filled with that every day for eight years. You can hear me lilting and see me gliding through the air, touching down only to sample the beautiful aroma of seasonal bloom.

Also, I like sports now. I kinda sorta hated sports at the end of my time in the biz.

 

I've been gone 10 months and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Now, I don't have a job (my wife keeps reassuring me that staying home with our 2-year-old and getting our older kids back and forth to school IS a job, but I disagree), but I still don't regret leaving. My home life is so much better now. My relationship with my wife is not nearly as strained. I get to see my kids every single day, not just when they're sleeping. I've spent the last 10 months coaching my middle child's football team and my oldest son's basketball and baseball teams.

As far as missing the business, I don't miss it as much as I miss the people. I don't really miss working late on Fridays and Saturdays. I don't even miss being at the games. Now when I go to a sporting event, I get to be a fan and enjoy it. I don't spend my time watching the clock, hoping the game ends in time to get my story done. On the national level, I have pretty much unplugged from ESPN completely so I don't really know what's going on in NFL training camps or who's leading the NL East and I'm completely fine with that. I occupy my time with other things that I missed out on for 20-plus years.

Quitting my job was the scariest thing I've ever done. For the two hours that I really contemplated leaving, I felt sick to my stomach. But as soon as I got home that night, I knew I made the right decision.

 

Getting out of that business might be the best thing that's ever happened to me, professionally and personally.

 

Miss some of the people some of the time. Don't miss the suits, the inexperienced editors, the uppity/in-it-for-themselves publishers, the human resource folks with an IQ about the industry that is the minus (-44). DO miss the people you write about, the readers... and DON'T miss the many clowns you have to deal with in ad departments, etc. I've found you miss the people who, regardless of their job title, are good people you'd want to associate with no matter what position they have/had and what industry. God's people, I call'em. Just everyday, hardworking, good natured, honest people. Odd that with honesty one of the main factors desired in journalism, there are fewer and fewer honest people in decision-making positions -- which means the industry has gone in the direction of most others in the good old U.S.

 

Big life changes are always scary, but it's amazing how often, once you've made the decision and gone through whatever grieving process you need to go through, the reduction in psychic load makes it so clear how right you were to make the correction.

 

I too miss the newsroom environment, from my time at a big paper to my college paper.

It really is a great place when the chemistry is right, and I had the great luck of having some quality, thoughtful, and engaging people around me. Had some of my best conversations talking out controversial stories and working together with those people.

I'm still in sports, but not for a paper. I'm either in a press box or at home, and I'll probably never be in a newsroom again, but that is the only aspect I miss at all. Pretty much everything else was shit.

 

Only regret is that I couldn't get out sooner. I have a job now, still in sports, that I love, in a great working environment, making more money, with better hours and for people who actually appreciate the job I do, and they make sure I know they appreciate it. And that goes all the way to the very top.

 

No regrets at all. I've been out more than four years now. Yes, I miss the camaraderie of a newsroom, the craft of journalism, and really knowing what I was doing... but not having work nights, weekends, holidays... and making more than twice what I made in journalism is pretty awesome. I also don't miss having to take phone calls during dates, or change plans because 5 p.m. became more like 7 p.m.