"Getting out of the business" resource thread

If you can tailor your resume to show you've done non-sports work, that would also help. Could you perhaps call yourself a multimedia journalist, instead of a sports reporter?

It's essentially a tweak to your personal branding.

 

Agreed. What I did was remove as much industry-specific jargon (sourcing copy, proofing sections, etc.) from my resume and make the language as broadly applicable as possible. Titles like 'journalist' and 'editor' tell the people doing the hiring what they need to know. It might also help to play up non-writing parts of your job -- photography, graphic design, online journalism, etc.

 

I'm getting a sense that the transferable skills I have and a dollar could buy me something at Dollar Tree.

 

If you think your work and by line are invaluable, here's an anecdote:
I went to a cookout last night and ran into a guy I know in passing. He struck up a conversation. He asked, "Hey, Driftwood, do you ever cover so-and-so at the paper."
I replied, "No, I got out of the newspaper business in 2012 and have been teaching high school since then."

 

Hey driftwood, is it hard to become a teacher? Can we go straight from journalism into the classroom? I would like to give back, dump journalism and the suits and speak to the kids. But no teaching degree. Also has anybody gone overseas with the Peace Corps or another group? Do you recommend that avenue?

 

The transition for me wasn't bad. I started out teaching English to get my foot in the door, then moved on to social studies when the opportunity presented itself. Coming from a newspaper background, the writing part of English was a breeze. I had to brush up on the literature side. There was a pretty steep learning curve at first, but there is for all new teachers.
I had a bachelors in mass communications with a minor in history. When I got off the Titanic, I enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching program that got me the teaching degree. I went two nights a week for about 18 months. The stars lined up for me - and all the contacts I had as a sports writer coving local high school sports certainly helped - where I was able to get a job on an interim license and went directly to work while I was getting my masters.

 

My state has a lateral entry program that’s offered through the community college system. It was a two semester process, plus the first year counts as your student teaching (while getting paid). All-in-all, it cost me less than $5,000. I’m just about to start year seven in the classroom. See if your state has something similar. http://educateva.com/

 

A one-stop shop with state-by-state information on requirements and certification programs. Double-check with your state's department of education, just to be sure: Teacher Certification Requirements by State

I'm giving education a long look, especially with some other potential options falling away recently. My elective choices were a little esoteric, though, so fulfilling content requirements could be a challenge.

 

Teaching is interesting. I have a good friend who has more or less gone the alternative school route for the last five years or so. He's made decent money, better than the average teacher because most don't want to deal with the problem kids. Teaching in general has some of the same issues as journalism: Low pay, terrible hours, no respect, no room for advancement. The only reason I considered going to grad school was to get a Masters so I could teach in college. Never did it, but teaching middle school/high school never had any appeal either.

I'm not helping with this post, just talking.

 

We're not brands. There is no "branding."

We're people. We have names. We have skills. We can leave at that. Really.

 

Several years ago I was in a rough patch professionally. I was butting heads with management, feeling like I was at a dead end and looking for a way out.

A high school about ten miles from my house posted a job that seemed perfectly tailored to me. It was teaching TV production and history of motion pictures. I had worked in TV for 20 years and was a film major; my dad, a retired HS teacher, taught history of motion pictures for probably 30 years.

I was seriously considering going for it when I discovered it would be at least a 40% pay cut.

I concluded I could stay put and outlast all the assholes in management at my station. I did.

 

Right now as a high school teacher, I am making almost exactly double what I made my last full year in the newspaper business. I have a masters degree and am paid for having 10 years' experience thanks to my time in the Navy.
It's all perspective, I guess. I worked all those years for peanuts at a local, family-owned paper and learned to live my life accordingly. Now, financially at least, I essentially live my day to day life the same way, and my salary makes me think I'm rich.
I work with plenty of people who complain about teacher pay. I just laugh and tell them they have no idea what it's like to work with a group of people who have college degrees and make less per hour than someone at Lowe's or some kids working part time at various places.
Because living frugally day to day is ingrained in me, when I want to splurge on something, I can.
Just this week, I decided I wanted a new saltwater fishing reel. The cost was never part of the consideration. 1. If not for my career change, I wouldn't have any reason to be purchasing a saltwater fishing reel. 2. If I was still at the paper, the cost of the thing would have to have been budgeted and paid for over a couple of months.

I don't know that any of that is a resource for getting out of the business... just a personal observation and story on the whole pay issue.