I've Had Enough

I wouldn't presume to judge anyone else's situation; in any newsroom there isn't going to be a unanimous opinion on the paper or the boss, and intelligent people can have vastly different assessments of the situation. Sometimes a change of scenery is what's needed, sometimes a change of attitude is what's needed. A while back I stopped in to say goodbye when a glass office was clearing out her office and she said that she always thought she'd spend the rest of her career there, and I just said that newspapers change, we have no control over that -- place gets sold and/or new boss comes in and/or the people around you leave and are replaced by people with worse ability/attitude/integrity, whatever, and you either live with it or you don't. Decision time.

 

One of the keys to hanging in -- and I've been at it 18 years now -- is to drive hard at what you really love about the business. I did the big-metro-glass-office thing, and each passing day took me farther away from the journalism. Budgets, staff reductions, meetings, meetings and more meetings. Never had my paycheck been so good, and never had my life in totality been so bad.

Still doing the management thing, but at a smaller paper where most of the conversations are about better work. Every day, I see my paper making a difference in the lives of readers. Our Web presence, the thing that so many papers struggle with, shows great promise, because we move quickly and aren't afraid to try new things -- or, if they don't work, we have no qualms about abandoning them.

It's not all rosy. Sometimes I yearn for the sheer talent I've seen in other newsrooms. But I work with good people who want to get better, and I want to get better right along with them. Most important, I feel like I hit a vibrant workplace every day, not a morgue.

As for life outside the office, never better. I've settled down and am raising a family, and it's wonderful to actually have the time for that instead of bunkering in at my old place, trying to protect my crew as the captain steered the boat directly into the rocks ...

 

Even though my bosses are sometimes among the most disturbing people I've ever met, I love what I'm doing here. I love the fact that I'm involved with nearly every aspect of putting a newspaper out, though I'd love to hire one more full-time reporter since I'm one short. I love being able to help develop interns into good reporters (though a lot of them seem to be better than I expected before I got them). I love knowing that I can put out a product I'm proud of week in and week out.

That said, I could use a vacation. I haven't had significant time off since I had surgery in November. I haven't had someone I could trust to take over for me in a pinch since then. I just hope I don't burn myself out too quickly because it took me years to get back into this calling when I did burn myself out the first time.

I wish you well in whatever you do. It's a shame when you work for asshole bosses. I just hope I don't become that in the future if my track really is being a manager.

 

Much sympathies, Dan.

But can you let us young button-pushers know the location of this forthcoming opening?

 

Damn, the body isn't even cold yet.

 

I feel for ya Dan. Doesn't matter how good the beat or big the paper, a terrible boss can make your life miserable. I myself just got away from a terrible boss.

I would like to see this get into a real discussion, however, about how to deal with terrible bosses, how some of us survived, etc. Right now, It smells like a "Feel sorry for me" thread, which I know wasn't your intention.

 

i'd think long and hard before letting a bad boss drive me out of any job - in any business.

shitty bosses are everywhere. (good bosses are everywhere, too). but a shit ass boss should only be one on a long list of factors. if you're like most people you don't have complete freedom to choose your next job. eventually you'll need to work to pay the bills. when that happens, the qualifications of the boss will be on your list of pros and cons but you might still take a job with a shitty boss.

 

Dan,
Better to go out on your terms than to have them decide for you.
Life's too short to live it in misery.
Taking the kind of stand you are taking - and it is just that - can be liberating and you'll be surprised at the many paths that suddenly become visible.
I wish you the best.

 

I worked twice for a guy who was widely considered an ogre. He could be so over-the-top that you just had to laugh sometimes. But the reason I went back for a second helping, years apart, was he was almost refreshing in the sense that there was no hidden agenda, you knew what you were getting, you never had to wonder what is he really saying? It's the slippery bastards that I have trouble with.

 

I've had bosses who were inept, overwhelmed and seemingly content to hide in their offices putting together the lineup for their adult-league baseball team or chatting all day on the phone with other SEs who also weren't getting any work done.

Right now, I'm lucky to have a boss that works more hours than anyone at the paper and is willing to let his golf handicap suffer if his taking on a tedious assignment will allow his staff to work on projects that allow them to do what they do best.

He could be a little more organized, which would probably make him more efficient, but he's the best boss I've ever had.

 

dan, if your boss is the driving force behind your exit from the biz after 30 years, please do everyone at the paper you leave behind a gift by torching your boss as you walk out the door. he/she deserves that after chasing you out.

this from a 29-year newspaper vet, who's blessed with a wonderful boss. 8)

but if it was an ogre driving me to quit, rest assured i'd make that crystal clear in my exit interview.

 

For someone who is still fairly early in his career, seeing someone like Dan get up and leave after 30 years is disheartening. I know what it's like to work for asshole bosses and there were times I almost got up and walked out the door. Some people can deal with it depending on their position at a paper. I can certainly see an editor being more frustrated with the things Dan described. Good luck to you, Dan. I'm sure someone with your experience will land on his feet with little trouble.