How to keep moving forward

Listen a lot.
Read a lot.
Ask for help.
Commit fully to your work.
Find a mentor.
Ask for hard critiques.
Tell yourself you are not above any assignment.
Don't talk shit, in person, but especially the Internet.
Solve problems for people, don't be one.
Ask yourself why you like certain stories. Read them closely. Try to apply some of what you learn on a smaller scale.
File when you're supposed to file.
At the length you've previously agreed upon.
Take risks. Push yourself.
Try not to wallow in journalism's misery. Vent when you must, to people you trust, then let it go.
Jealousy can do two things: Make you resentful or motivate you. Chose the latter.
Journalism is hard on families and relationships and sometimes friendships. That doesn't mean it's all bad. Work especially hard when you're young, but don't end up married to the work. It won't love you back.
Don't be a jerk. You never know who might help you someday.
When the time is right, you'll know. Give everything you have to this job for a year before you look around, then don't be afraid to express interest in opportunities. Work hard enough that when the next boss calls the current one, the current boss says "I hate to lose this one, but no one works harder or is better to deal with. Help him/her shine."

 

The threads on the Journalism side right now are making me nostalgic for what SJ.com was however many years ago. Young writers should print out what DD wrote above and carry it in their pockets.

 

Printed! Thanks for all the advice. If anyone else has anything to add, please do so.

 

Well ...

1. You might never make it, talented or not. The best writers (often) get hired right out of college by the large newspapers. So you need to at least acknowledge you may never get beyond the community daily level.

2. Be amazing at social media. That is the one skill that will get you out of newspapers, into another communications gig and into a drastically higher-paying job.

3. It is great you are already looking for the next gig. That shows ambition. Ignore the posters on here who are saying "whoa, slow down."

4. Network. Find mentors in journalism and outside journalism. That will give you a lot of options.

5. Learn web-based skills. Not a programmer? That's fine. Become great at using content management systems. Anything you can do online is a bonus.

 

On the one hand, I agree with this. Newspapers these days are a lot like sports. It seems like if you haven't "made it" by the time you're 30 or just past that you wind up stuck at whatever level you're on when you get to that age. So move up the ladder as fast as you can and never stop looking for opportunities.
On the other hand, I understand and agree with what other posters are saying. Nobody wants to work with a guy who has one foot out the door from the minute he's filling out his W-4. That's especially true of the long-timers you might be working with. It can easily show in your work, and it paints you as an asshole who doesn't give a crap about your current job, the people you work with, or being part of a team. And maybe you don't, but just be aware that if you give off that vibe then the people around you will sense it and treat you accordingly.
So I'll go all Confucius here. Aspire to be better, and work to better yourself, without thinking you're better than anyone else or your current station in life.

 

I think it's ridiculous to discourage this newcomer from looking for his next job the minute he starts his first one. Because we all know good and well his employer is looking for ways to replace him the minute he starts. If you disagree, you haven't been paying attention to weekly and daily newspapers in the past 30 years (which dates by to when I was the ME of a weekly at the age of 19).

Looking for your next job the minute you start your current one is by no means saying you should neglect your current position; in fact, it's just the opposite. Breaking stories or creating compelling copy that answers people's needs is one way to do this. Another, massively important way circa 2016 is to build your personal brand by smartly using social media to your advantage. None of this is detrimental to the people paying you, but all of it can lead to a bigger paycheck down the line.

 

Don't be surprised when a story you write that you know is great gets little or no response from readers while some other one that means less to you takes off.
Trust your judgement and keep doing what you think is good and what you think fans want/need to know.

 

And if you do ever leave journalism, remember this is still good advice for any career.

 

You should keep your eyes out, yes. But you are better off using the opportunities that your current job affords to become good at being a working journalist while doing so.

Plenty of people half-ass their current job but still want the next one.

 

That is good advice. also you can always look, strive for something better, but careful who knows about your aspirations. Some bosses may speed up your way to a new job if that's what you want.