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

There's life on the outside, and it's much better.

If this is your first job, you just don't have the perspective necessary to realize that your job doesn't have to suck. Most people do not have to work weekends or holidays. Most people are able to sock away some money for their retirement. Most people don't have to dicker with the business office about whether this cellphone call was for business or if that one was personal.

I was in newspapers for 15 years. At my first gig, I worked my way up to assistant sports editor at a major metro daily by working long, hard hours, but I eventually came to the conclusion there had to be something more when I saw high school and college friends driving BMWs and taking European vacations. I realized I was spending 13 or 14 hours a day at the office, just to get the job done, and had nothing to show for it. My friends were working similarly long hours, too, but at least they reaped some benefits. The difference? My job *expected* long hours. For my friends, it was a *choice*. It all hit home one day when my oldest daughter asked, "Daddy, how come we never see you any more?" That clinched it; I jumped into P.R.

After two years, I thought I missed the business, so I left that and took a gig as executive sports editor at a 50K daily in the same market. Within a month, I remembered every stinking reason why I left in the first place. Lousy hours, lousy pay, lack of resources, micromanagement, dwindling influence in the marketplace, you name it. I left within a year, rejoined Corporate America and I've never been happier.

Don't get me wrong: There are many things I loved about sportswriting -- the thrill of deadline, traveling on assignment, working (and drinking) with people who are razor-sharp clever -- that I still miss today. But as you move on through life, you'll find that people tend to romanticize the past ... and often the present.

Get out, and don't look back. That's my advice as someone who's been there.

 

For me, this is the bigger concern. The idea that I might have to do something I don't like for the rest of my life is sobering. I realize that's the reality and I have to swallow it, but it's difficult to accept.

 

Very hard. It's what I've done. It's what I've seen myself doing all my life. Can't think of other reasons you stick through something as financially woeful as the industry is right now.

Honestly, wouldn't take much for a job to be more gratifying right now. Finding the same pay without taking a big cut initially is probably the biggest hurdle I'm dealing with ...

 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again....you don't HAVE to do something you hate when/if you leave the newspaper biz. Why does everyone seem to think journalism is the ONLY thing they could love to do?

You must have an open mind or else you're definitely going to hate whatever it is you end up doing.

 

Not only is it tough I would imagine to find something in an area of interest and qualification but simply if anyone is hiring in that area....it changes even one's interests....

This is what's dumb. Americans want to work. Very damn few want to be on welfare, but we still have the highest number of millionaires of any country. Go figure. This system is warped.

 

Re: Moddy's comment.....I never experienced the kinds of things you did while in the biz, and I'm sure that's part of the reason the more experienced guys miss it more than those who were in less than a decade or whatever.

But I really miss the trips. Even to places like Greenville, S.C. and Bethelem, Pa.

 

What most miss in this business is the camaraderie. You miss the interaction and the buzz that's created by being a journalist. The pay sucks but you get to rub elbows with so many people - the good, the bad, the ugly, the rich, the poor, the has beens, the never was, and the never will be's.
Outside of being a politician or a police officer, what other profession can say that?

 

I have an open mind. I don't believe it's a sure thing that I will hate my next job. But when you combine all the factors -- economy, skill set, financial realities, personal obligations -- the odds of finding something you like are stacked against you. You're more likely to take what you can get because you don't have another choice.

 

Fair enough. It depends on your situation. If you have a job and are looking to move, you have time to check out more options. If you're unemployed, you could very well take the first thing that comes along.

 

A lot of people finding it hard to change careers had the decision made for them. That doesn't mean it's not hard.