Going from Sports to News? Is there any risk involved?

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a moment.

When I was fresh out of college people told me being "versatile" would be an asset. It wasn't. It means because you can do lots of things, people drop crap on you that no one else wants to do, especially as the new guy.

I would recommend the stick to your guns plan of action. If you want to do sports, bide your time, it will come. Taking the first full-time gig to come along if it isn't what you truly want to do can backfire quickly.

Do what's best for you, and I'm clearly the dissenting vote here, but make sure it's what you want to do before you pull the trigger.

 

One possible response: At age 22, how many people really realize what they want?

 

I just can't see that, especially with there being fewer jobs.

Had I taken that route in 1980, I would have been in Air Force OTS within three months of college.

And at 22, I knew absolutely what I wanted, and had for quite a few years. Sometimes, life changes your priorities after that.

 

One good thing about Obamacare is that now you don't have to take a full-time job just to get health insurance. When I graduated, I would have rather tried to work part-time at a big paper rather than full-time at my small paper, but I went for the full-time job because of the benefits.

 

Dick: I will be 53 at the end fo the month, and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

 

I'm still in my 30s, but I'm with you there.

 

Anyone who asked me what I wanted to do between the ages of 15 and 23 got the same answer. And by 25, I wound up doing something decidedly different with my career.

 

I suffered through an enormous identity crisis when I began to consider seriously leaving sports writing as a full-time gig, either for news or for opportunities outside of the business. A lot of it was because of how people who knew me reacted to the idea. Close friends and family members just couldn't fathom it. I distinctly remember my mother pulling my wife aside for a huge heart-to-heart because she was so concerned because, "That's what he always wanted to do." One year, I requested a non-sports book as a Christmas gift, and my mother called me wife to make sure "that's really wanted he meant to ask for."

 

I will say that to this day, I fight against the idea that being a sports specialist means something less deep or less meaningful than being in the "regular" newsroom. And I have no doubt that the fight has cost me professionally a time or two along the way.

But anyone who's ever worked in a sports department has dealt with that.

 

I think you can make a sports beat meaningful. On the other hand, I think that it is a lot easier in sports to get away with not doing anything of substance and just going to games and press conferences.

 

I jumped from sports to news a few years back, and am so glad that I did. The different experiences will make you a better all-around journalist (and my hours are much more sane).

 

I'm going to be honest.

Switching to news was the best thing I ever did. More interesting stories. Slightly better hours. You might find you really like it.