Getting back in it

Hey PMO, just sent you a message ... may have something that'd interest you and the Mrs. ...

 

I hit ya back ... at least, I think I did.

 

I left the business in 2008 and managed to get back in (at a smaller paper with lower pay) two years after that. Have been employed ever since, although I've changed jobs twice to stay one step ahead of the layoff posse, so to speak. Probably the main things I had going were (a) background in editing both news and sports, and (b) former bosses who either moved to or were friendly with prospective employers and would vouch for me.

My current shop, while less than ideal, is about as stable as it gets these days in the business. Pay is adequate at best, and it's not the type of place that'll ever win a Pulitzer. But it at least will allow my to reach my one remaining career goal, which is to retire on my own terms and timetable instead of having some HR type tap me on the shoulder and tell me it's all over, followed by a security guard escorting me out of the building.

We do have several openings right now and your diverse background would qualify you for just about all of them, so please PM me if you want to know more.

 

You pretty much hit on what I'm hoping for: A place where I can just do my thing until the time comes to ride into the sunset. I've done all the really flashy fun stuff. There are more projects I'd like to tackle that I think I can do just about anywhere. My only main requirements is that it be 1) a sports gig place 2) in where I can get out in nature on days off. Of course, it's gotta get the final approval of management (my wife ).

 

Just out of curiosity, after seven years of freelancing, why might you not consider staying with that and ramping it up further? Especially given the hiring climate out there. The peripatetic existence of military life lends itself to travel writing, for instance. You likely have other passions/interests that you've already translated into freelance work. Admittedly, I've freelanced for my entire career, never getting a W-2 in the mail, only 1099s, so I don't know the particular attractions of working in an office. But I do read Dilbert daily, so I don't think I missed much except a lot of meetings. Why not give freelancing another look since it's already a comfortable place for you, and bread on table/roof over head are not existential issues?

 

My wife is retiring from the military and we need to land on our feet when that last day comes. I need a larger (and regular) income on that day. Military retirement pay, while nice, won’t pay the bills and her goal is not to find another job, but to start a small biz.

 

Someone might correct me, but - Unless you're getting hired by a paper in a large metro area, it is likely that your yearly salary will be $30,000 or less. (I'm 36, worked regularly in newspapers since graduating at 22, and I only cleared $30,000 from journalism the two years I worked for Patch.com.) Is that enough? If you love writing, it might be simpler to find another gig and to freelance on the side.

 

Always a possibility. Not at that point just yet. Not in need of a giant check, just something regular.