Is anybody else finding it hard to tear away from the biz?

My first year as a teacher, I had a lot of people ask how I was dealing with the pay cut.

Pay cut? I got a small pay *increase* -- first-year teacher pay > small-town SE pay with 9 years' experience.

Teaching seems to attract a lot of us because of the stability (both job security and stability with hours, which are attractive in a profession where neither exist) and because a lot of us are gifted communicators and somewhat meticulous with facts, which are attractive qualities to hiring principals.

 

To be fair, and Crimsonace brought it up, but teaching is a gold mine compared to journalism at this point. Starting pay is around $32k for nine months where I am, plus you eventually get in a strong union. Most journalism jobs go for $25k max entry level, with no benefits, and I've seen as low as $18k on this board for full time, if I recall correctly.

 

Teaching also - generally - has better benefits and the hours aren't as murderous.

I'm not saying it isn't hard. I'm not saying teachers aren't underpaid. I'm not saying they actually get to enjoy all those holidays and breaks off.

It is, indeed, more a statement of how bad the pay and hours are in journalism than anything, that teaching is a genuinely bonzanza better deal.

 

Also, I think teaching is a field in which there is a general sense that you can truly make a difference -- something I feel is often an important component in jobs as far as journalists are concerned.

Indeed, I would wager that, for many, that is the most important aspect of such a move. Making an impact is something that really seems to matter to journalists, no matter what we do. Despite trained-in cynicism, at heart, we're idealistic, and teaching is a field that tends to feed such a mindset.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. If I could do journalism teaching, I'd give it another shot.

When I got out last, I did special ed, because I had a special needs child and experience in the field. It was the wrong move in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I'd give it another shot.

 

I've been contemplating my future for the past several months -- and it's been on my mind a lot more the past few weeks.

And reading this entire thread has only hardened my resolve that I need to make a change.

I would agree with the consensus that one's personal life is way more important that one's career.

My biggest hurdle is that I don't really know how to go about looking for a job in a new field. I mean, since graduating from college in 2003, I've worked at three papers, and the only thing I've ever really done to find a job was scroll through JJobs.com and find something that looked interesting.

Now I'm trying to find a gig in Chicago -- I live a few hours away in Indiana -- and I really have no idea what I want to do. I've been maintaining a music blog for the past year, and I think it would be really fun to write for some sort of music publication or alt-weekly, but, again, I really have no idea how to go about landing a quality job -- while still making enough to live on -- with no real credentials in the music biz.

For those of you who have transitioned into a new field/career, how did you find your new gig? Was it as simple as contacting some employer and basically offering your services, or did you have to scour the classifieds/Craigslist for several months before settling for a less-than-ideal job?

 

Just a warning for those considering teaching:

Podunk County Public Schools hired one full-time English teacher for the entire county last year. One.

And you thought getting a journalism job was tough. Many of my friends are teachers. It took them 2-3 YEARS to land public school positions, and I live in an area where unemployment is much, much lower than the national average.

So don't go plunking down money for graduate school and just assume you can stumble into a public education classroom.

This isn't the easiest of times to be considering a job change. Personally, I think you're best hanging in there and hoping you don't get fired, while, at the same time, networking your ass off to try and do better.

 

I agree with this. Teaching is not the profession to be getting into right now. Stay at your current job as long as you can and look for work while you're there. It's easier to find a job when you already have one.

 

Teaching is tough. You have to work for a few years to get tenure, and then hopefully last a few more years get high enough on the seniority list to be layoff safe.

If you enter the field with a masters, good luck. Districts don't want to hire first-year teachers with a masters because they get more money right off the bat.

 

I have a Masters in Journalism, so I can teach Journalism at the college level. Not that I would. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I could be accused to encouraging someone to go into journalism. I'd sleep better at night if I was working PR for the NRA or Phillip Morris.

But because I have a journalism degree, I can't substitute teach in the state where I live.

I've never had that one adequately explained to me.

 

Huh?? That is a head-scratcher.

In some areas, they're so desperate to find subs, they'll take ANY college degree (provided you pass the background check).

I guess they don't want you indoctrinating kids with the media's well-known liberal agenda!

 

Depends on the state. Some states will let just about anyone sub with a background check, but you need a teaching license in other states.