I've come to a fork in the road, but am I hungry enough to use it?

Career suicide might have been a tad exaggerative. It would be a critical wound to your career though. If you're the real deal with big-time contacts and you go into PR or marketing, you've got a shot to crawl your way out back to this side.

But it'd be a long shot, and even if you're a certified effin stud, many of the newspapers/magazines you seem to want to reach will eliminate you just because you were a "shill." It's not necessarily fair, but it's true. Some things just jump off the page at editors paring down hundreds of applicants for a single position. I feel quite confident in saying PR/marketing guy would get you circular filed.

I hope I'm wrong. But trying to take a different path to an old-fashioned destination usually eliminates you from contention.

If you really want to do this, I'd find a newspaper gig anywhere instead of a marketing/PR job. Good luck.

 

i congratulate you for not starting your post with a: "ummm."

 

Go where they'll let you do the most work. It's the only way to become the writer you want to be.

 

Although you're work has drawn raves from mentors, you'll still have plenty to learn. Go where you can learn from your mistakes with the proper guidance.
Some bigger papers may pigeon-hole you into a certain niche and not let you out; small papers may just want you to churn out copy.
When an employer is interviewing you, you should be interviewing them.
Find the best fit for you.

 

If plan on going to SF or NYC to freelance/bartend, think about this:

Will you be able to afford $1,500-$2,000 a month in rent or do you plan to live in a cradboard box?

 

Assuming you'd be writing, I'd do option 3.

 

i agree with BYH. while it's possible to move from PR to journalism and back again, you're making your career goals tougher to achieve if you do PR.

 

Before I address anyone or anything further, I want to thank everyone for their comments so far. A lot of us on this board are just beginning our careers, and the opportunity to converse with the "pros" is invaluable.

Now, to continue...

I would've agreed with you in the last few years, but I'm not so sure any more. From those I've talked with, the path to my goals doesn't necessarily need to be paved that way any more. The problem, it seems, is that many of the better jobs just aren't opening...ever. So I start off covering high school sports somewhere, but there's no opening for a college gig, and I end up 32 yrs old and still covering HS sports. That was certainly not a slam on any who cover HS sports, but I don't think I'll be "fulfilled" at that point.

JAREDK and TAYLEE:
"When an employer is interviewing you, you should be interviewing them." / "Go where they'll let you do the most work. It's the only way to become the writer you want to be."

That is the best advice I give my writers at my college paper, and I sometimes ignore it myself. I agree wholeheartedly. That's what I say in my interviews. My goal is to continue to learn the craft and to see some progress over the next couple years. I have a good base, but that only gets you so far without the proper editing.

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"If plan on going to SF or NYC to freelance/bartend, think about this:
Will you be able to afford $1,500-$2,000 a month in rent or do you plan to live in a cradboard box?"

I'd be willing to live on the street in NYC or SF. OK, so that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point. I've found a couple places in the $1200 range, which I could handle. Also, I'm pretty sure I could get a desk gig somewhere in NYC (not in the biz, but still working and pulling down $40K), and $1500 a month I could handle.

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"Assuming you'd be writing, I'd do option 3."
That would be the best for my career, but I'm not sure if I want to do it. The paper I'm talking about is awesome, truly awesome, and I had a front-page freelance story for them that was well-received. But moving halfway across the country to a place where I know no one is becoming tougher for me to do...

Thanks guys, looking forward to more discussion...

 

I don't understand, fly.

You could go to lots of cities and work a bartending job and do OK. Why consider two of the most expensive in the country?

What "major" cities have papers in the 40-100k range?

I think if you are considering menial work while hoping for a job at a paper, why not go to a paper you like and try to get a job as a clerk there?

You'd be better off. Thank being a clerk at a PR firm.

 

San Francisco, because I have basically all my family there. And now my sister is pregnant, and I'd love to be able to help. New York, because I've always dreamed of living in NY, and freelance opps are plentiful there.

Not to sound like a complete dolt, but what exactly is the role of a clerk? I've never really thought about that.

 

A clerk in sports would probably put together agate, take calls from minor sports and high schools.

A clerk in news might handle listings, do some grunt work reporting, do obits maybe and make copies and such.

If you go that route, you have to let them know you have aspirations as a writer and devour any and all writing assignments you can get.