Considering a career move. Advice?

You had me at more money and less work.

 

I did two stints in news and loved it. I learned so much about the courts and dealing with police, hospitals, etc., which was perfect for when I returned to sports. Anytime a player or coach got arrested, I felt very confident pursuing information. Also, if you love sports, election night is a big rush.

But you question your qualifications for this news position... it sounds like you might not be a shoo-in??

I'd dress professionally and wear the ring on the proper hand. ;D

 

I just wonder how why you say the job would be less work if you'd work 60 hours in a week?

How are you seen by management? In this job market, I'd bet the competition would be tough, even for a $30K news editor job. Ridiculous pay since there are small weeklies in the Midwest that pay near $50K for the same type of work. I'd start looking there.

 

I know the feeling, brother, and damn if it isn't intoxicating. Leaving a sports section I helped build from scratch was one of the most difficult things I've had to do professionally. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about going back, though my reasons would be quite different from yours.

That said, you have to let go at some point unless you're willing to oversee the sports section to your dying day. Something tells me you have grander plans than that.

 

This made my day.

 

Most of the people I know who have switched from sports to news or entertainment are stunned at how easy it seems by comparison.

 

Look, there's no substitute for having a life. This move would give you one, because let's face it, a sportswriter's life at almost all levels is tough to negotiate. Whatever misgivings you have about leaving sports will be more than compensated for by the home life better hours and more money will afford you. And Mizzou's right. The transition isn't that difficult. The toughest parts of any newsroom job -- I'm thinking mainly of time management and people skills -- you've already mastered if you've been in it five years.

So I say go for it and don't look back.

 

Do you have any news experience?

Do you know how gov't agencies work? Do you have any experience getting information for the police? Are you familiar with your state's open-gov't laws? Have you ever covered a trial? If your reporter was out and you had to get a case file at the courhouse, would you know what to do?

 

One word of caution: At this point, you only have an opportunity to interview for the news editor job. You may not get it.

That said, if you have any interest in doing this at all, you absolutely should interview, wholeheartedly, for it.

You need more money, and, if you get the job, you'd be making more money. You'd have health insurance. You'd have a more organized, more livable schedule less buffeted by the vagaries of other people's schedules. All good things.

You shouldn't think you may be unqualified for this. Given your success with the sports section -- your sports section, and given what you say about the less-stellar efforts on the news side, remember this: You would be the news editor, not just any generic news-side reporter. That is, you will be in a position of responsibility, and, hopefully, influence. That makes a difference, and you can even contend that you could potentially bring similar quality and success as has occurred in sports over to the news side. (You should think about how, brainstorm ideas, solutions, etc., just as you might with sports problems, and come armed with them to your interview).

You should not assume you will hate news. You might, of course, but you might not. The minute you get involved in any major, truly important, and just-as-energizing story that involves real lives (sports, for the most part, serve as diversions), you might find that there is just as much as, if not more, excitement, urgency, emotion, timeliness and impact to be had in news compared to what you might ever experience in sports.

Sure, there will be much to learn on the news side, both in terms of broadening your general knowledge horizons, and in terms of editing. But, you will learn it. That's a good thing.

Also, meetings and lots of contact with higher-ups is not necessarily a bad thing for people hoping to either salvage, hold on to, or advance in, their careers.

It's where decisions are made, things are talked about and discussions and problems resolved, or not. And even if not, at least you'd be in the know. Wouldn't you rather be involved, than not? Who knows? You may be able to make your voice heard, and you may be able to have an impact, in and of yourself. You know that will never happen if you're not involved.

And, despite the fun of sports, and how it's generally more "popular" with readers, and more "interesting," remember that newspapers, by their very nature, are, first and foremost, about news. There's no denying that that's where newspapers' real, true value lies, and even sports writers shouldn't try to do it.

I once had a city editor -- who once worked in sports and was an ardent fan of sports and a newsroom supporter of sports since moving to news -- tell me when I interviewed for a potential news position after years in which I'd worked mostly in sports, that, "There's nothing like covering a major disaster, or uncovering wrong-doing or corruption, or learning about important issues like education. Once you do that, you might never want to go back to sports."

And, if you're the news editor, don't you think you will take pride in that section every time a good one is done, or every time an important story is well done and it runs?

Your paper won't hire you as the news editor if it doesn't think you can do it, so make your best pitch, and leave it up to those making the decision in the end. But if you're interested, you should certainly interview.

 

I made a similar move at one point. Had the same rationale, loving what I did in sports and worrying that I'd hate a different job for more money. But I love a challenge, so I took the plunge. Now I love what I do, for different reasons.

You may make the move and hate it, but at 24K you're really not leaving that much behind. My guess is you could always go find another 24K sports job. If you get the opportunity to better yourself and make more money, give it a shot. At the worst you'll find out you hate it but still have a new experience to draw from and more money in your pocket.

 

If you're offered, take it.

You've been in sports for five years, and only have $4K in savings. You can triple that in one year.

Plus, who knows, you may like the job and stay five years in that. Then you'll have an extra $40K in your pocket for being happy.

 

It's going to be a difficult transition being the editor for local news if you have no news experience.