Are you where you envisioned yourself to be?

A year ago, I was covering any and everything I was asked to. A little NBA here, some college football there with a weekly sprinkling of high school athletics to along with spot news.

Now? I'm on a desk with an occasional writing bone. Keep in mind, I work at a major daily, so hell no, I'm not where I want to be. That will soon change.

 

Pulling up stakes, joining the Peace Corps and moving to Morocco is definitely not something that was ever in my plans. Not that I really had a plan, but boy, this wasn't even in the thought process

So no, I'm absolutely not where I thought I'd be. But honestly, right now, I can't envision myself anywhere else.

Definitely the right decision for me, and after service I'm aiming for one of those federal writer/editor or public affairs jobs. Unless I can talk them into letting me stay.

 

This year I was promised one job and forced into another. So as a birthday present to myself, and I know this sounds bad, I'm covering a preps football game on my day off.
For at least three hours, I want to enjoy what i do again. For three hours on a Friday night, I'll be happy.

 

First, given what could be happening to a 53-year-old sports editor/writer right now, I have zero complaints. I'm very lucky I got into this Internet thing when I did. It has been over 11 years, and I've seen the growth of this part of the business from near infancy, and I love my job.

But I'm not where I envisioned I'd be, and I certainly wish I had not gotten in the financial mess I'm in. But I've had a lot of fun getting here.

Anyway, I figured I'd either be a sports editor at a major metro, would have gone beyond that to higher newsroom leadership ... OR, before I turned inside, I figured I'd be a columnist somewhere. As hard as it is to remember in some sense, I was actually pretty good and seemed headed upward as a writer when I was 25.

So no, not where I envisioned at 25, then at 35 and even 40. But I've also been part of something really cool and learned a lot of new and unbelievable things.

 

Once I fell into this biz, I reached my primary goal -- ASE at a low-lying major before 30 -- while balancing the work/life mix. A few moves later, even though my current locale is one that I envisioned, the job itself and the industry as a whole aren't, so the view from this mountain is not all that compelling. It's an uncomfortable, in-between place to be, and I might have to make a major change for it to seem less tenuous.

 

Short answer is no, not even close. I achieved one of my main goals, which was covering college hoops. Shitty team, but I did what I wanted for three seasons. But if someone told me 10 years ago that I'd be clamoring for a desk job, I'd have called them certifiable.

Goals change. People change. Mine have, and I have. The long answer likely won't see the light of day. And I have far more regrets than anyone should have. All that said I don't think there's any way it could have turned out differently.

 

I'm exactly where I thought I'd be when I was hired as a college soph in 1968--with the same newspaper. Back then we had a staff of 18. Now, 5. Back then we were approaching 100k circ. Now, 50k. Back then we were family owned, well-respected. Now, we're owned by a struggling corporation and have become a downsized piece o' crap with a Web site run by clueless dolts. Back then I was on my way to a career full of pro coverage and travel. Now, pro coverage, no travel, and the powers that be would rather we be covering high school swimming meets.
So, yeah, I envisioned myself at the same shop after all this time, and for the most part it worked out really well. I've made decent money, was afforded the time to raise a great family and have a great life, but at the moment this newspaper and its management absolutely blows. I never envisioned that.

 

When I interviewed out of college, I was asked what my aspirations were and how long I thought I might be at the paper. I said I figured at least a few years, but of course I had higher aspirations. However, I said it could be much longer depending on how I like the job. Well, more than four years later, the only move I've made is up to SE at the paper. The job is OK. I think now I really I believe I could end up here for life, which was more of something I just said before. I still hope to make a move and would welcome the right one right now but obviously the poor job market is making that unlikely.

Either way, who of us on here can really complain? We're all well enough off that we can access this board, which is a lot better off than most of the world.

 

Oh, man: 0-for-3.

 

In case anyone is preparing to hit the eject button or just thinking about it while warming up some Ramen noodles.

http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2008/09/26/fastest-growing-industries-lead-careers-cx_tw_0926jobgrowth_slide_2.html?partner=hotjobs

 

"What did you do during the war, Daddy?"

"I worked in IT!"

 

I was lucky enough to land my dream job at a destination newspaper in my mid-30s.
Funny, because I reached a point where I never thought it would happen, and then all of a sudden, boom, there I was.

I'm happy.

My only disappointment is that I haven't developed into the writer I thought I would. .... Let me rephrase: I dont think I've reached my potential. Ten years ago, I spent hours each week, reading books, magazines, seeking out mentors, searching the Internet for ideas, etc.

But as time passes, priorities change. Family demands almost all your free time. The books you've been meaning to read start to stack up. You hear that Gary Smith wrote a helluva story in SI, but there was never time to read it, and now you can't remember which issue it ran in. I still I think I write well enough, but I'm not sure I'm any better than I was a few years ago. And that's disappointing.