What WOULD it take for you to leave this business?

Embrace the future, KY, but live for the moment.

 

Unless you're broke and in-between jobs. Then just hang out at your apartment for a while.

 

Not having any job security can make even the most passionate writers want to get the fuck out.

I have friends who have top jobs at top papers whose hearts skip a beat every time their bosses call.

That's what it's come to.

When you wake up every morning and work your ass off and do everything right and you know that it won't matter... That makes you hate your job.

 

I haven't gotten to that point.

Yet.

I know people who are like that, and I feel for them. Job security really isn't an issue for me, at least I hope it isn't. But with us getting sold in the near future, who the fuck knows what's going to happen?

 

I think leaving is hard for a lot of us, unless there is a good buyout offer on the table or unless we just lose it one day when we're told "no raises" and "more work."

As for staying gone, that pretty much is decided for us now by the bean counters and the shrinking industry.

One year's pay and one year's medical would do it for me. Maybe even a little less, just to get on with the next part of life. (But, psst, don't tell the bosses that.)

 

If there was a good buyout offer on the table, or an equal paying job out there I'd leave. Future just ain't bright, and I'm in one of the lucky places right now.

And yeah, staying out is hard. I've left the biz twice, came back twice.

 

Changed jobs recently, haven't been here long enough to get a decent buyout offer. They'll have to kick me out the door and padlock the damn thing.

... unless, of course, I get an unsolicited offer from somewhere.

 

bucky, you're the first one I call if ever I have the power to hire.

 

You don't work at the Plain-Dealer, do you, dammit?

 

Well, something that bears repeating, yet again.

Print is in trouble.

The desire for information, and the people to write, edit and produce it, has never been greater.

We're not going to be here in 50 years with no reporters, editors or production people. They'll just be doing their jobs in different ways.

So there are two avenues: Turn to another profession, or be at the top of the list of people willing to adapt to the changing environment.

I'm not ignoring all the cutbacks across the business. It's stomach-wrenching.

But there will still be jobs for people who want to purvey information and frankly, well beyond traditional newspapers, which might ultimately lead to more options, not fewer.

 

I agree with that, SF, but in the meantime newspapers honchos are making knee-jerk decisions with peoples' lives, and few newspapers seem really interested in putting the manpower and resources into really doing a bangup job on the web.

It's sort of an after-market add-on.

 

Sign me up for that "more options" career path, please.