Job Opportunity Dilemma: Love Location or Love Cash. WWYD?

[Baron Scicluna]

I know it's cliche, but a lot of times, we read in sports about how an athlete or a coach needs "a change in scenery."

From what you are describing, it sounds like you need a change in scenery. Both for your professional satisfaction and, more importantly, for your health.

Think at this point: "What is the worst that can happen to you if you take the new job?" Then think about what is the worst that can happen to you if you stay at your current gig.

If nothing else, you'll have more money. And hopefully, better health. Good luck.

 

[exmediahack]

I've often said news anchoring is like being a coach. You HAVE to take "the bag" when you get a crack at it because, even if it doesn't work out, you'll probably land at a better job than the initial job. That's the case here.

It's basketball. Let's say I won a lot of games at Ball State. Made the tournament twice in 12 years. But I had maxed out on salary and the job wasn't a challenge.

USC calls and hires me. Pays great. Love the beach. And it's a disaster after two years. Too much incompetence.

Now a job on the level of… Tulsa or Colorado State calls. Not as glamorous as USC but likely less stress, lower expectations, more support and the same pay.

 

[MileHigh]

All good points.

In June, when I learned I would be moved from the anchor desk into management, I sent out applications all over the area for higher-end jobs that I figured I could transition into.

0-for-84. 46 were local. 38 were remote jobs.

Humbling. Eye-opening. Discouraging. I didn't mind taking another pay cut to stay but I wasn't going to walk away and work for peanuts.

Somewhere around late October, I tried that approach of dialing it back a little. Every day I came in with a plan for the day at 1 pm (I work through the late news).

By 5 pm, every day, it was blown to bits.

Ultimately, we are told that we're being judged by how good our reporter content is.

Last night at 9, I have one reporter who doesn't understand her story — so much so that we had to kill the story as she went to the wrong TOWN and started recording her standups about what she thought had happened.

Then I have my boss calling me at that moment, asking why this reporter doesn't have a story and that I need to check on her more throughout the day.

Someone else ashigned her the story at 10 am. I have to stay on top of 7 reporters each day/night, fix all their scripting mistakes, do their digital and track each story to review with them every 2 weeks. (We're not even a small market…)

There are too many "what has happened to my career?" moments since the new ashignment.

The only place where I get more interest than before… yup, TV news. Weirdly, every manager outside of my company is sympathetic to my plight and even giving me credit for not leaving.

TV news is like porn. We all start out with big dreams. Some of us make it to stardom, fame and Ferraris. Some of us get out by 28. Others - like myself - get by at age 50 by doing gangbangs with ugly fans who win contests.

In other words, I am definitely in the Diggler-on-the-couch stage with the firecrackers going off, wondering "what the hell happened to my career?"

You're working for a ship company (Scripps/Tegna/Sinclair/Nexstar) who didn't give one ship about you by yanking you off the air and cutting your pay, then demanding you herd the cattle of young neophytes who probably have no business being on the air but were hired because they came on the cheap.

Gotta make the move. To get back to what you do well, for your health and sanity.

It's a brutal/horrible business. At some point, you've got to do what's best for you.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

One small problem is that, if you leave a job you hate, you'll have to replace it with another thing to hate. I think that's one of the laws of emotional physics, perhaps The Conservation of Crap, which states that irritations can neither be created nor destroyed, only moved around.

So, I might suggest you but a ceramic omelette pan. They're a pretty specialized piece of cooking equipment that don't work all that well to begin with. The ceramic coating wears out fairly quickly and eggs will stick to the pan, making actually cooking a decent omelette almost impossible. They don't take up all that much room, so you could just stick it way back in a kitchen cabinet. But, when you do come across it, you'll remember you really hate that thing.

 

[exmediahack]

One small problem is that, if you leave a job you hate, you'll have to replace it with another thing to hate. I think that's one of the laws of emotional physics, perhaps The Conservation of Crap, which states that irritations can neither be created nor destroyed, only moved around.

So, I might suggest you but a ceramic omelette pan. They're a pretty specialized piece of cooking equipment that don't work all that well to begin with. The ceramic coating wears out fairly quickly and eggs will stick to the pan, making actually cooking a decent omelette almost impossible. They don't take up all that much room, so you could just stick it way back in a kitchen cabinet. But, when you do come across it, you'll remember you really hate that thing.

I'll be moving back to a sports betting state and I'll return to my hate of three-team parlays. And cookware.

 

[Songbird]

I've often said news anchoring is like being a coach. You HAVE to take "the bag" when you get a crack at it because, even if it doesn't work out, you'll probably land at a better job than the initial job. That's the case here.

It's basketball. Let's say I won a lot of games at Ball State. Made the tournament twice in 12 years. But I had maxed out on salary and the job wasn't a challenge.

USC calls and hires me. Pays great. Love the beach. And it's a disaster after two years. Too much incompetence.

Now a job on the level of… Tulsa or Colorado State calls. Not as glamorous as USC but likely less stress, lower expectations, more support and the same pay.

Coaching USC hoops is akin to coaching Virginia Tech hoops ... dream job and if you flounder it's more on you than it is the systems.

I'll throw Long Beach State hoops in there as well. How they aren't top tier is beyond me.

 

[I Should Coco]

Your outstanding posts on this thread show you have the writing chops, ambition and sense of humor to be an ashet to any newsroom. And I say that having never seen you on camera.

Regarding the Boogie Nights/college coaching metaphors, you haven't come close to a Bobby Petrino or Mel Tucker-level career low point yet!

 

[playthrough]

I've often said news anchoring is like being a coach. You HAVE to take "the bag" when you get a crack at it because, even if it doesn't work out, you'll probably land at a better job than the initial job. That's the case here.

It's basketball. Let's say I won a lot of games at Ball State. Made the tournament twice in 12 years. But I had maxed out on salary and the job wasn't a challenge.

USC calls and hires me. Pays great. Love the beach. And it's a disaster after two years. Too much incompetence.

Now a job on the level of… Tulsa or Colorado State calls. Not as glamorous as USC but likely less stress, lower expectations, more support and the same pay.

Get to one Elite Eight in Muncie and they'll build a statue.

 

[exmediahack]

Had to be on a Zoom call this morning — called with 20 minutes notice - from our regional overlords.

As I logged in, all I wanted was them to say we're all fired.

Nope. Just a reminder that we need to do better work and change the culture.

darn. Maybe next time!

 

[OscarMadison]

Skipping ahead to offer congratulations and wish you luck. I don't think the theatre superstitions apply to broadcast journalism.

 

[wicked]

you haven't come close to a Bobby Petrino or Mel Tucker-level career low point yet!

Isn't it obligatory to post this any time we mention Bobby Petrino?

 

[Deskgrunt50]

I heard the other day what the origin is of "break a leg." It applies to actors because it means you're "in a cast."

I've heard a few different origin stories on that. That's as fun as any of them.

As for the points made here about "don't mess with happiness" and "ambition" on this thread, I'll tell a sort-of-related tale.

Not long ago I surprisingly found myself in a position when I had to decide between two job offers. One was very close to home and more money, and not an insignificant amount. But I hated the culture of the place, and the workload was an absolute meat-grinder.

The second was good, but less money, farther from home. But it was a group of people I immediately liked and wasn't a completely back-breaking workload.

I picked the second and couldn't happier with my choice. I spent the 25-plus years before this filled with pure ambition and getting the "most important" job I could. It's not that I've lost ambition, but my priorities have changed a lot. I want to work hard and do a good job. And step into a larger role if it presents itself. But work isn't 75 percent of my life anymore.

Anyway, go get 'em @exmediahack. Happiness is way underrated by too many people.