Leaving the business -- second thoughts

I was laid off a few years back, long before it became the industry norm. At first, I felt like I'd received a bit of a gift -- I landed a decent PR job and enjoyed the field I was working in. I've swung through a few different communications jobs since that time, all of which pay well and none of which satisfy my professional desires in the slightest. My current position in PR is one that a lot of people would kill to have, a spot where you'd THINK you could make a difference, yet I'm desperate to get out of it. It's a classic case of it being someone's perfect job, just not mine.

I miss reporting terribly. I miss writing for a living even more. I miss the challenge of sitting down in front of that blank screen every day and wrestling with it until the story was written, whether I had 10 minutes of 10 days to finish the story. Hell, I even miss fighting with surly editors over the newsworthiness of a story.

No, I don't miss the low pay and odd hours. But just driving up to the Friday night lights for a living is a feeling I'd love to have again. A couple of years back, the local SE (at a fairly large daily) offered me a chance to get back in. It would have been a massive pay cut, as well as a trip back to the bottom of the sports department hierarchy. I thought about it a lot, but wasn't totally sure I could make my mortgage on what they were offering. I turned it down. And every day since, I've regretted the choice as I drag myself out of bed to deal with the same surly bosses, foiled vacation plans and assorted other garbage that follows you to any office.

I do a couple of small part-time sports-related gigs just to keep my toes in the water. I know that newspapers are not the best career move for anyone right now. Yet it doesn't stop me from wanting back in, some way, somehow.

 

I have given much thought to just what you described. I have asked myself whether I'd be willing to work at a non-daily or small (under 10K circ.) daily and pretty much decided that, for me, the answer is NO.

Just not enough of the things I'm interested in. No disrepect here, but I didn't decide to enter the journalism business so I could write or edit 30-inch gamers or features on Little League or prep basketball on a consistent basis. Sure, those leagues turn out some good stories, but that's NOT what I want to be my bread and butter.

So, for me anyway, if that's the best that's out there, I'll take a pass and go do something else. Just one man's opinion.