Average journalism major starting salary is...

Yep.

I took a huge hit when I went from preps to a college beat, at the same salary, because I wasn't getting significant mileage any more.

 

But the part they didn't tell you about was all the fun things you'd miss out on and how many cars you'd bury at an early age.

 

As I said, I know people hired straight out of college by those newspapers.

 

I bet the vast majority of reporters at major dailies started at major dailies straight out of college. And I bet that the vast majority of them make well over $41K a year, from day one.

 

I never did. Not in 10 years. Got very close, though.

 

Sometimes I wonder what level salary would have kept me in the business, in perpetuity. Maybe $60K-$70K. Maybe.

 

I disagree. There are a lot of stepping-stone newspapers. There's no way the baseline salary for entry-level reporters at, say, the Fayetteville Observer tops $41,000. But that's one example of a newspaper with a reputation as a talent developer.

 

If they had offered me that salary at my last newspaper stop, I would have thought long and hard about it. I likely would have stuck it out another year or two before moving back to civilization.

 

I don't think anyone's experiences from even five years ago have much to do with what's happening today. Certainly my experience from 20 years ago -- major daily, $31K, and fuckin' A was I living LARGE -- is not something that's worth comparing.

 

The landscape has definitely changed.

 

That's also depending on the paper following the labor laws and actually paying you for the overtime.

 

Obviously.