Life after journalism

Yeah, but then you can win the U.S. Open.

 

I used to dread getting out of the business because I didn't know what skills I had to offer others, but threads like this one have made me realize there's plenty of opportunity out there.

As far as journalism is concerned, I've had it. It was fun and rewarding at one time, but now it just seems like a giant hassle.

 

I've been thinking about this a lot, too. Almost 30 and, while I still love what I do, I'm not so confident that I'll be able to do it for anything approaching a raise-a-family kind of wage in five or 10 years.
I'm still young enough to make a significant career switch, and I'm considering that. But I'm also tempted to try and figure some way to carve a niche out of freelancing. Is that nuts? Or will all journalists be working for themselves as multi-media content providers in ten years?

 

How about my favorite name for it: "Bullshit dispenser"?

 

You can call them BS dispensers all you want, but good ones are God's gift to our business.

 

I reckon they think "it's" magic. But maybe they're that dumb.

 

I am no longer a writer and I do miss the people, but when I made the decision to go to grad school to get my masters and teach a wave of calm came over me.
Now that I am close to going back, I can't wait to start my new life, in a city that I want to live in nonetheless

 

I'd have been the last person to think I wouldn't miss sports journalism. Had a great job on a growing newspaper in a supportive community; never had a bad job in 30 years.
Today, four months after getting out, I've never once looked back. No withdrawal. None.
As a communications director for a non-profit -- of all things -- I make more significantly more money, have nights and weekends off, and know my best work is making an impact beyond filling corporate coffers. It's astonishing to me how well the skills I developed in newspapers translate out there. And there's still freelancing for magazines and the occasional newspaper to keep my fingers dipped in ink.
I did some serious hand-wringing over this decision for two months. Thankfully, my new outfit was patient. And thankfully I wasn't afraid to take the leap in the end. I'm still surprised at just how painless it has been.

 

I can't see how "sports" journalists can waltz into a PR agency, with no advertising experience and no business writing experience, and get anything other than a see-ya. Nor can I see them getting in at a Chamber of Commerce. Sports information, maybe, but at a significant pay cut and shittier hours. How the hell this happens, legitimately, explain.

 

I have a master's in secondary education to fall back on. I actually spent some time in a high school classroom already, but left teaching for newspapers. I may come full circle in the next few years and freelance on the side.

 

I have a dilemma. I'm at a fairly stable family owned and I may soon have a chance to move to a larger paper for a little bit higher pay and a promotion (a better title) at a corporate. The corporate has had no job cuts that I know of (for example, it does not show up on the layoff map that somebody posted on another thread).

But do you, in this climate, take a chance on being the "new guy" at a newspaper? And I mean ANY newspaper.

Job security versus ambition. A year ago I would have said you have to take your chances and follow your ambition. Now, I'm not so sure.

 

That's assuming that the family-owned paper won't make any cuts, and that's a big if in this stage of the game. No company is immune from the "economic realities" ax.

I just started a new job about three months ago and at this point I'm hoping to get two more years out of it (which I'm hoping is enough time to figure out something else to do with my life).

It's a sad state of affairs in this business. Truly tragic.