Is it worth it?

There are many things I think I would have done differently when I was in my 20s. Or, I might have done them all over again because I was in my 20s.

 

If you just graduated, and you truly enjoy writing/journalism, then go for it. The majority of jobs held by recent graduates are cube-monkey style gigs anyway. Jobs that will be there for you in a couple years if you decide to quit journalism. If you're thinking about graduate school, many schools prefer you to get some real-world experience before enrolling, anyway.

So, if journalism is something you think you love, take a couple years and see what you can make of it. No one on this board knows what the industry will be like in 3-5 years. If they think they do, they're wrong. The next big thing might be on the horizon.

Lastly, it's much easier to quit journalism after a couple years and get into something else than it is to try to get back into journalism after a couple years off. Maybe you'll regret the choice to stick with journalism in a year or two, but you can make up for it. If you leave journalism now, and end up regretting that choice in 2-3 years, it'll be tough to get back into it.

 

You would have better odds of success buying a lottery ticket

 

I'm always interested to read these types of threads.

The original poster mentions that he has a viable alternative job path in finance, through a family business. That's a luxury that most of us don't have -- a job waiting for us in another field whenever we want it. What that safety net in place, I'd say go ahead and give sports journalism a shot. My advice would be different if that wasn't the case.

As others have pointed out, the chances of working your way up the ladder are very low. If you're able to land a first job at a big, name-brand outlet, or someplace a step down from that, that's great. You'll won't escape the constant fear of being laid off. As someone else posted, seeing that happen to colleagues year after year is psychologically draining, even if it doesn't happen to you. But at least at a big outlet you'll be in a decent situation at a place that still has some semblance of a "sports department."

If you start out at a podunk community paper, your "department" might be just you. Or you plus one other person if you're lucky. And that means you'll have to be working all the time and doing everything -- writing, editing, page layout, photography, video, web publishing, social media, planning/organizing, and the list goes on. I think most people on this board would tell you that if your starting point is podunk, you're not going to make it to a major metro. May have been possible 20 or 30 years ago, but not anymore. So if your choice is between a podunk paper or the financial job, the latter is the much better option.

I worked at community papers for nearly 20 years and finally decided to get out. It was very hard to get my foot in the door elsewhere, but I eventually did and it was the best decision I ever made. I now work 40 hours a week instead of 55. I work no nights or weekends. And I took a significant step forward in salary. My quality of life is simply better now, and while I will always love sports journalism, I have no desire to go back.

Do what you think is best for you, be aware of the realities, and be glad you have an honest-to-goodness safety net. Most of us aren't so fortunate.

 

OK, I just waded through this very interesting thread while following hockey online (stupid NBC, putting game 7 on cable ...)

I would advise the OP — as some others have — to consider what attracted you to sportswriting/journalism in the first place.

Hopefully it's because you think newspapers are important to the community, and you have what it takes to continue that tradition while constantly bailing water off the Titanic.

I've been doing this for 20 years, and I'm making $33,500 a year (salary ... so hours past 40 don't count) as the assistant news editor/paginator/copy editor at a 20K daily in the Pacific Northwest. My wife is a teacher; otherwise, we couldn't afford to live where we do or to have a family. We walk a fine line financially, but we've made it work, and I feel very lucky about that.

Many, many friends and family members have told me to get out of this business ... and I have seriously considered it myself dozens of times, including interviewing for a job in another field in the 2000s.

What it comes back to for me is, despite the best efforts of individual newspaper owners and corporations, sometimes we really serve a purpose besides making some rich bastard a profit. Those moments are increasingly rare, due in large part to the dying business model and slashed newsroom staffs, but I've had them and I'll go to my grave proud of those moments.

Just my two cents. Good luck with your decision, OrgCritty.

 

I think there are a lot of people who have been in journalism for 10+ years who think they're not qualified to do anything else.

People even joke about it in newsrooms, but I think people start to believe it. I think that's why there are so few people who get out unless they get let go or if an offer falls into their lap. (That's changing a bit, but mostly as a result of the last several years of horrible job security.)

A former co-worker of mine (desker) was let go two years ago after being at the same paper for 20+ years and in the business for more than 30.

He now manages a sporting goods store and feels like he hit the lottery because he now can have a "normal" days off and work "normal" hours and sees more of his kids.

 

Just wish it was easy to find something other than sports and media that could hold my interest.

 

Like so many others, I'm really glad to see these threads pop up. They give me at least a semblance of hope that others are in the same boat and that we'll all figure this out together.

 

It's easy to think that when you've been in that world for awhile.

I'm not going to lie, there are a few times a year where I'll be watching an event and I'll think for a second, "Fuck, I would have been there for this..."

There are also countless times when I'm off on a weekend or celebrating Christmas without worrying about my phone ringing where I think, "I never would be able to do this if I was still covering the NFL."

I'm well aware that I will never have another job as exciting as covering sports was. But eventually, you, (or at least I did) you get used to it and come to peace with it.

 

You know what's rewarding about being a journalist? It's being able to afford dinner.

 

If you're making that little, getting out shouldn't even be a question. It's one thing when you're making $50K+ and you have to find a new gig where it pays as much or close to it to justify the move.

If you wake up every day excited to go to work and you don't care about the money, great, good for you... If it is an issue, you should have your resume circulating as quickly as possible.