Are friends/family shocked at your salary?

If you just looked at my tax return, you'd think this is a high paying profession. Of course, once you take into account that there is about 27 K in freelance work, side jobs and part-time work in there and it makes you realize that it is not fun working this hard for this little money.

 

Generally speaking, TV and radio people make even less than print journalism people.

For all the reasons stated on this thread, I've long held it was unrealistic to expect to support a family working in this business --- at least without being in management. I suppose if both parties work and the spouse works in a career that pays significantly more, it could work if the family isn't obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses.

The fact is most of us know from middle school that if money matters, this is NOT the path to follow. But we do it anyway, for whatever our reasons are. That's fine --- everyone has the right to make their own choices --- but at least we know what we've signed up for.

I guess my mistakes when I first started out making $15k back in the late 1980s was the assumption that over time I'd move up and make much more. That was partly true --- I earned more than double that at my last gig almost 20 years later --- but not to the extent that I thought was likely.

 

In my experience, the only way to make money in this business is to junp early and often. You have to have the temperment for that, and more importantly, your spousee does, too.
Oh, and don't buy a house.

 

That's a great episode. Even though he had to buy that stupid dress to please that stupid woman.

 

When I start teaching, I'll start at around 10K more a year than what I make now.

 

No one remotely close to me is surprised I make close to nothing. I've never been able to afford a vacation, and I likely won't -- for the time being. And it doesn't help that mommy's still helping me get out of debt.

They all know better by now.

 

You know, I looked into that a few years ago. I would have had to either (1) get a Master's degree or (2) spend 18 months-2 years on an alternative certification program before even being allowed to look for a job. Even then,the average annual starting salary for a teacher in my state was LESS than what I was making in newspapers. That sort of convinced me not to take the plunge on something I was lukewarm at best over.

 

My friends and family are not shocked at my salary because they not only don't know how much I make, they never will because it's nobody's damn business but mine.

And I don't say this to make all you underpaid youngster feel bad, but I have never not made a very respectable living wage in my 40 years in this business.

There are benefits to being old. And, yes, I realize I am among the fortunate ones.

 

I'd like to hear from college grads who started at 24,000, say two years ago. I'd like to hear their salaries today. My guess is many of them are making LESS than that. I know of some papers that have had hiring freezes and/or no raises for at least two years, and these papers have had furloughs. It's scary to think some kids start at about 24,000 and probably are making less than that a couple years into their "careers."
And Journalism schools are in business???

 

It depends on the state. Some states allow you to teach if you take 1-2 classes and pass some tests. I think it was on the Getting Out of the Business thread, but in Texas, all you need is a bachelor's, take a few online courses, and pass some tests, all of which can be done in 6 months.

The state I live in is either the same, or similar to yours. It would be a huge time commitment just to become a teacher, and in my area, there's only one private school that offers the alternate teaching classes. I don't feel like spending $20-30,000 just to become a first-year teacher.

 

Freakin Peggy...

 

I wasn't working in newspapers at the time, but I can still remember a conversation I had with my dad's partner in 1995. He asked me when the last time was that I'd gone on vacation. I couldn't remember.

"You've been deprived," he said. He then offered to pay my airfare to go on vacation. I still had to book the hotel and the flight, but he paid for it.

I went to L.A. with my dad in 2006 and he paid for everything except the long-term parking at the airport, which I paid for. Airfare, hotel, transportation, food, everything else, he paid for. That was just before I got my last gig.

I did pay for a quick trip to Las Vegas later in 2006, but that's the last time I've gone on vacation.