1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Looking for job advice

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by ackou757, Oct 19, 2015.

Tags:
  1. ackou757

    ackou757 New Member

    A little background: 26 years old. Work at 11k circulation weekly in New England. Been here about 10 months. Hired as GA. Covered high school sports Jan.-June as regular sports guy was gone. Did very well. Editors "rewarded" that by moving me to lead news reporter. While I appreciated that, I know now I want to continue on the sports path.

    Advice on: I've been applying for positions for the past few months. Been in the final two in New England a couple times and fell short. Currently talking to a paper in the upper Great Plains in a city of 75k with a circulation of 23k. One problem is that I'd be paid about 10k less than what I'm making now. However, I live in a place with a very very very high cost of living, so I feel my perspective may be skewed. Pay aside, I'm curious if that jump in market size and move from a weekly to a daily is worth it for that pay cut and location change? And should I be scared of working in a city in that region as far as future prospects are concerned?

    Thanks.
     
  2. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    Never worked in that area of the country, so I'm unable to offer you anything insightful as far as the job market or future prospects. I do think it's a good step to move to a daily but the pay really sounds like a downer. Any chance you could whittle some extra cash out of them? If so, definitely worth considering.

    Sorry I'm no more help, but that's about all I'm comfortable with. Best of luck to you.
     
  3. YorksArcades

    YorksArcades Active Member

    Your perspective is skewed. Take it.
     
  4. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Will they help with relocation? Taking a pay cut plus swallowing moving costs can be a tough way to start a new gig. Though at 26 I'm guessing you don't need a Mayflower semi.
     
  5. Human_Paraquat

    Human_Paraquat Well-Known Member

    Have you looked at a cost of living calculator? This one says a $50K salary in Boston is essentially equivalent to $30K in Idaho Falls.

    Cost of Living Calculator | Comparison Tool

    Of course, that only really works if someday you want to move back to a place with a higher cost of living and that future employer doesn't offer you based on great plains wages.
     
  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward. This sounds like a better professional opportunity. Not knowing if we are talking the difference between $20,000 and $10,000 or $40,000 and $30,000, I'd say take a chance if you can make it work.

    But if you decide to take it, don't be shy about trying to get more money or relocation expenses out of them.
     
  7. JohnHammond

    JohnHammond Well-Known Member

    Knowing where this place is, the move is a wash. Where have other sports writers who've left in the past few years ended up?
     
  8. ackou757

    ackou757 New Member

    Tried to figure that out but couldn't find much on LinkedIn or anything.

    @Ace: Closer to that second range you mentioned. The cost of living calculator from @Human_Paraquat puts what their offering within a safe range cost-of-living wise, which is nice. But your point about trying to get back somewhere with a higher cost of living is a good thought. Thanks for that.

    @playthrough that's something I'll ask on the call. Could be key.

    @YorksArcades thanks haha.

    @Doc Holliday Thanks. They said they have no wiggle room on the salary. But appreciate the input.

    Thanks everyone.
     
    Doc Holliday likes this.
  9. Fredrick

    Fredrick Well-Known Member

    Money means something. Don't take a pay cut. The salary you start at in this era is the salary you will be at for many many years, aside from a 1 or 2 percent increase if your new news organization has a policy of giving raises. Don't go somewhere for 10,000 less. If you can't get more than you are making now, it's a red flag to who is trying to hire you.
     
  10. Danwriter

    Danwriter Member

    The closer you stay to a major media center, the better. Far more opportunities ahead than in flyover country.
     
  11. ncdeen

    ncdeen Member

    I can honestly say I had very little happiness in this business when I worked at weekly for 2.5 years, and that all changed once I got to a daily. Then again, I didn't have to take a pay cut to move to a daily.
     
  12. KVV33

    KVV33 Member

    Since they cannot negotiate on salary, tell them you'd like the opportunity to, in your spare time, write occasional freelance pieces for publications like alumni magazines, etc. That's a good way to make extra money and get a few decent clips out of it.
     
    SFIND likes this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page