Newspaper Survivors

Because the heat index gets up to 100-120 for several months in the summer. (Oh, sorry, that was YOUR list, wasn't it.)

 

Couldn't agree more on the traffic. I absolutely hate it. I understand the perks and intrigue of working in a big market, but smaller towns/ cities have their perks as well.

 

Eh, I know what you mean. But it's summer.

 

I turned down several attempts to climb the ladder -- at times, I thought I had done so foolishly (and I turned down a job from a fellow SportsJournalists.commer that would've, in the long run, been a good career move ... to stay at a 10K paper and keep churning out prep sports stories). Turning that job down probably prevented me from climbing up the ladder, as the older I got, the more I worried I was getting pigeonholed as a "small-paper guy."

Instead, I put down roots, got married, became an SE for four years, and probably could've stayed in that job for 30. I had pretty much put myself in a position where I was very well-respected by my readers & sources because I had put down roots -- something I probably could not have done elsewhere.

Even though I bailed on the business a couple of years ago, staying with that job was a great move for me personally (and, as it turned out, professionally. As I left the business, I hired on at a local high school -- the familiarity the school administration had with me and my work certainly was a factor that did not hurt).

Had I followed the path up the ladder, I might have never put down those roots, and might have put myself in a position to put myself on the chopping block. Instead, I have a good life.

 

I agree with the majority of the posts.
I am a combo news/sports editor at small daily (were 6 days, now 5 days). Been SE for 15 years, NE for nearly 10. Had plenty of chances to move to a bigger paper, but considered the moves lateral.
Yes, the pay sucks, but I am lucky. Wife owns her own business and makes double what I do. She razzes me all the time, but I don't really care.
I have benefits... Belong to a beautiful golf course and play 4 times a week, don't have to work 40 hours per week in the summer because I am salary.
Some of the jobs I turned down have now been eliminated in my state.
Thought I would be here for a year or two and move on.
Now, I am glad I stuck it out at a small daily.
That's just me...