Sports writer/designer opening in Danville, Va.

what was dyepack's line? something about drinking the kool aid or some shit like that?

fuck, so you're embracing low pay? what's next? wrapping both arms around shitty working conditions?

 

Whoops, I posted from a co-worker's computer and forgot I was longed in on his name.

 

keep reachin' for the stars.

 

But what do you do? Not take the job on general principle and wait tables until one opens that hits your pay scale? March on the corporate headquarters of every chain with torches and pitchforks?

Realistically, if you're working at a 20K or smaller, you're going to get paid poorly. Unless it's in a location with highly insane COL like Key West. But you can get a respectable apartment in that area for less than $400 a month and do pretty okay for yourself. No, it's not $50K, but it's not the Ramen wage I've seen at other places (my guess would be you'll get closer to $25 than $20, unless you have no experience at all).

 

most every 20k on the west coast will pay at least 25k, which is 25 percent more.

and i'm not saying you have to turn down a job because of principle, but jesus, people don't have to embrace that kind of pay (20k a year) much less attempt to defend it.

 

I'm so glad Tom Petty is here to tell us it would be better to make $25,000 than $20,000. :

We all know $20,000 is shit pay, though you would probably make a little more than that in Danville, but you don't get into this business expecting to make a fortune right away (or ever). The best most people can hope for is to climb ladder to jobs that pay better. This play has a track record of moving people on to better, higher paying jobs.

 

Before everyone goes off the deep end about the pay scale ... the pay would be closer to the upper end, and could be even more depending on the level of experience. The job ad says $20,000-$25,000 because that is the level that was selected under the journalismjobs.com ad.

 

And besides, I started at about $18K at a 12K paper in a town MUCH more expensive than Danville. And I did just fine.

 

Just to add some info, Danville is quickly gaining recognition among MG's community papers for its mulitmedia efforts. Because of that, we have jumped to the front of the MG list for Web site redesigns (expected first quarter of 2008). The sports department has taken a lead role in helping the paper move in that direction. We will only continue to plan more for the Web as time goes on (and it's one of the main reasons that this position is allowed to be filled).

Since May, we've had a full staff for the first time since I've been SE. Since then, for what it's worth, everyone in the sports department has received some kind of monthly recognition through Media General for writing, design and/or multimedia. I only see that continuing.

 

I don't know if Drew was the SE back in 2003, but the SE back then used me and disguarded me like a box of tissues. Since then I've always been weary of Danville Register and Bee ads

There was an opening in the sports department, I sent in my resume. They then went as far as giving me a phone interview and later saying I had the job. They went on to say that they just had to clear up some red tape. One month later, still no job offer, but they kept assuring me that I had the job. They kept giving bizarre excuses like they were trying to get me more money, when I had happily agreed to the salary.

Of course, we all know how this ends. They gave the job to someone else. Apparently, that was the person they couldn't agree to a salary with and I was Plan B.

I wish they would have been honest from the get-go. Be careful when dealing with this paper.

 

No worries. This guy is absolutely not the guy you dealt with in 2003, and in fact was around for some of his reign, meaning he learned a lot about what not to do as an SE.

 

Before this thread gets carried away into god knows how many different tangents, I'd like to give my seal of approval (those things are worth a dime a dozen on here, right) for this gig. I'm the fella that's leaving, and I can say there's a very good group over in sports. So you'll have fun working in Danville.
In my 20 months there, I covered the Braves' rookie league team, the ACC, preps, NASCAR and just about everything else, all the while getting better on the layout side.
Message me if you have any questions.
Now back to the fun.