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

No reason to justify your initial thought, that is how I thought he/she came across as well.

 

Second that ... at some point you're gonna have to eat, too. 1500 in rent on a 40k salary makes things really tough. plus, in NYC, everything else costs a ton, too.

 

I received a pm asking that I clarify some of my comments so here it goes:

When I said plucked, that wasn't to imply that larger papers go out looking for and contacting younger writers. They don't have to. They get a lot of applications from reporters wanting to make that next step. This is an obvious analogy, but think of a small paper sort of like the minor leagues. Do one to three years 1) learning everything you can 2) writing stories that prove you're ready for the next level and then 3) start sending out resumes ...

I think No. 2 is key. Some small papers have mediocre standards. You have to set your own bar higher and report and write like you belong somewhere else, even if your editor doesn't expect it. At my first paper, I was blowing people out of the water with some of my stories AND page designs. People knew I wasn't going to be around much longer, especially my editors. That's the reason I got four raises in two years at a small, notoriously penny-pinching newspaper.

Once you've outgrown your surroundings, you won't get some magical phone call from an editor at a larger paper, telling you that you've been "called up," but you will hopefully have a resume (and references) that say you're a hard worker, you work well on deadline, you're willing to do more than your share and you can write solid, interesting stories.

Many smaller papers, especially ones that make you work hard, often serve as feeder papers for the larger ones in that or surrounding states. After one or two years, you might know a couple of people who moved on to the larger paper and they'll vouch for you. So don't ignore your friends.

Throughout my career, when vacancies come open, I've constantly been asked if I know someone good who can fill that slot. I've found jobs for a couple of my former co-workers and I've received calls from some of my friends' newspapers asking me to apply.

Bigger papers usually don't want someone right out of school to take on an important beat but they are looking for someone who has proven themselves after 2 to 3 years (see: job ads). Personally, I found it easier to find a job when I had 2-5 years experience than when I had 8 ... by then I had a family and I needed a larger paycheck ... so money became an issue more than anything else.

Luckily, newspapers still need people like me but they want more younger writers.

Hope that helps.

 

Option No. 3 is the absolute best play.

However, if you get a job at a smaller paper, it's not the end of the world. Contrary to what some on this board are saying, jobs at a lot of papers in the 30,000-range are safer and more secure than a lot of metros right now. Smaller papers have their advantages, one big one being the freedom to find your voice. Some of the best editors you will ever meet are working at papers below 50,000.