What WOULD it take for you to leave this business?

[KevinmH9]

Being less five months out of college, I've already decided to switch careers and head back to school for another year. I didn't find it worth my time take a job with a four-year degree with a salary that I could be making while being a cook at a local restaurant.

Oh yeah? Don't be so sure. My cousin's son just got hired as head chef at a Chicagoland restaurant for $80K. Plus free use of a leased 2008 Infiniti SUV. And his previous job was as one of the cooks at a steakhouse in Florida.

Good luck to you, though, Kevin.

Ha, I mis-worded that a bit. I meant to say with a salary that I could be better off just cooking at a local restaurant instead.

 

[Walter Burns]

A raise and nights and weekends off.
I hate myself for getting to this point, and I hate the industry for pushing me to this point. I was a true believer. On my worst days, I couldn't imagine doing anything else, and on my best days, I actually felt sorry for people who didn't do what I did for a living.
But those days are gone. Right now, between the cuts, the layoffs and continually being asked to do more with less, I can't take it. I hate my job. And if I'm going to do a job that I hate, then goddammit, I want more for it.

 

[Igor in CT]

It would take a 40-something to figure out what the next step is in life after getting into this biz late.

Sleep nights. Weekends off. You know, normalcy.

 

[schiezainc]

All it would take for me to pack it in is a job with security.

 

[agateguy]

A layoff might do it. But I'm stopped considering myself married to the business even before all of the industry-wide insanity.

I came into work tonight, heard everyone else talking about layoffs, and I simply tuned them out. I get enough bad news from this site and a few others.

I don't want to leave my employer this way, but if it happens, it happens.

I'd probably see if a couple of other area papers were hiring. But it just might be game over for me in journalism.

I'd take a year's worth of salary and medical benefits too

 

[Cadet]

I told myself when I took this job it would be my last in newspapers. Have no plans to change that, whether I leave by layoff or by choice.

 

[luckyducky]

When I left my first job out of college, I thought I was leaving newspapers for good (had designs to go back and get my teaching degree).

Six months later, I was handed what I thought would be a foot in the door on the way to a full-time job. During my 2.5 years there, I interviewed for four jobs (not including being turned away for two at that paper) ... had one offer withdrawn as we were finishing up the paperwork because the ME/Pub decided they couldn't afford it after all, had another paper pick a different candidate and turned down two FT offers at solid (but considerably smaller) papers because "it just didn't feel right."

Two months ago, I got a call out of the blue that was enough to leave the newspaper side. Since then, both people who were hired for the two jobs I turned down were laid off.

I didn't know what it would take, but I'm glad I found it...and I'm hoping/planning that it will allow me to learn the skills so that I can be part of this modified opportunity that SF mentioned if I catch the ink calling my name again.

 

[whatwoulddamondo?]

sf, i hope you are correct. but i'm wondering where the money to support these news-gathering operations is going to come from. i'm afraid that once the suits figure out that they don't need to waste $100,000 each year advertising in the daily bugle and while still raking in cash, that they'll avoid formal advertising all together. i see a lot more guerrilla marketing out there, harnessed by kids making $7 an hour passing out flyers and dressing in costumes on subway platforms.

 

[spnited]

I hate to sound optimistic on a doomsday thread but ...

I'll get out of the business in 7 years, when I retire. The two papers I have worked for owe me guaranteed pensons -- even if they crash and burn.
I'm also in the age group that is "guaranteed" Social Security (which means I'll probably die before the pirates in Washington are done raping the SSA).

Being old and happy (despite my grumpy, ball-busting SJ personna) is a damn good thing.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Persona? As if!

 

[schiezainc]

Let me ask you guys a question.

Any of you take the GRE's? I'm considering possibly going back to school for my masters (I've got bachelor degrees is in criminal justice and psychology and would be pursuing advanced degrees in either one of these fields or in journalism).

Are the tests basically an advanced SAT? I took a lot at some of the sample questions today and it didn't look that tough. I mean, obviously I'd have to study and prep and what have you, but how is the test? Is it tough? Easy? Worthless?

Education is a way that get out of this field, though I know it would be tough.

 

[Tom Petty]

about 3 cents more than i'm making a year now.