What's your contingency plan?

Yes, buy sj: The Magazine.

 

Participated in a discussion to a local college journalism class, where the former editor-in-chief of a major metro stood in front of them and said, "You'll be able to have marvelous, fascinating careers in the news media. But you will not make any money."

Used to be, when we heard that, it was in a relative sense: We wouldn't make money like investment bankers or sales reps or CPAs, etc. But we would make enough to achieve middle-class status and (with a working spouse probably) own a home and raise kids.

Now, I don't think there's anything relative about it. I think the wages are going to be piss-poor, poverty level, and even the big boys are going to pay less because of supply-and-demand of talented, unemployed journalists. A business that asked you to sacrifice in so many ways -- long hours, lousy schedules, travel away from home, meager pay -- is starting to increase the sacrificing by decreasing the pay even more.

As much as I burned and yearned to do this back when I was 21, if I were coming out of undergrad right now, I easily could see myself making a U-turn and getting a marketable graduate degree in a field that pays real wages. The thought of 30 or 40 years of . . . this shit? Gimme a break!

 

Pete Townshend wanted to die before he got old.
I'm hoping to die before I get laid off.

 

There are many opportunities available to you outside this business, but not very many of them are going to come easy. Many will require returning to school. Others will require beginning in an entry-level position in a new industry.

But remember, there is no honor or nobility in staying on the sinking ship just to say you did. Sometimes, I feel like people tell themselves they're doing the right or noble thing by staying with this when all the signs say to leave, when in reality they lack the courage to start fresh or explore the unknown. That just doesn't go for this profession, either. I think, "I always thought about going back to school ..." is one of the most repeated phrases in the American vernacular.

 

You know, Waylon, you've had some really nice, good perspectives on this topic lately.

Just wanted to say that.

I don't know for sure what I may be doing, as far as staying or going. As I've said before, I have no real desire to leave journalism, and believe it's what I should be doing. But, at the same time, I've been giving some thought to what else might be out there, and have a couple things I'm starting to consider more seriously.

I'm sure I'm not the only one.

You, obviously, can tell that, and have been gently doing your part to try to be helpful. It has been appreciated.

 

I think if we paint a realistic portrayal of where the business is heading or where it is now and we let high school/college students make their own decisions, we're doing fine. If we're painting an unrealisticly rosy portrait of the profession, that's when we do a disservice to potential journalists.

 

Your big phrase is "as if everything is fine" and the answer to that question would be no. Everything is not fine in this business and will not be under the current standards.

But advisors and professors better be telling students honestly about the changes, the business side, the shitty way management will treat employees sometimes (Tampa Trib), the positives of still making an impact and help students become more professionally adept at print, Web, video and radio.

When I was in college our professors were aging print guys. They hammered the basics and that was great. We were told we'd never make a lot of money and that was true.

But they snorted about the television, radio and "communications" areas as the dark side. Today? They better be telling students to be well-rounded and walk in with their eyes wide open.

I'd never tell a student to avoid journalism and writing. But I would make sure he knows print isn't the only thing he has to do.

 

Howard Stern's in his mid-50s and isn't going to work forever so I've already applied for his job.

 

I'm here because I used to work at a newspaper. And someone very close to me used to be a journalist and posts here. I very rarely ever post in the journalism topics only board for obvious reasons. But sometimes, I do like to express my opinion as a reader of newspapers.

My point of my posts was that I agreed with what FNF said. That as a reader, I will always have the need for someone else to ask the questions. And for them to tell the story.

What I was trying to say to Cadet, is that YES, the public really does thirst for the information. Well, the public that I know in my Podunk town does. And I'm not referring to how the Little League finished.

 

As with anyone, perhaps divine plan, perhaps biological coincidence. Too deep a question for this thread.

 

Ah yes, but you don't understand the absurdity of these peoples' minds.
They were there, and they undoubtedly saw the reporter and made sure to spew why little Billy Sucksalot deserves a mention in his or her story.
Then, if Billy, who played two minutes of garbage time with the visiting team leading 111-20, isn't in the next morning's paper for showing "hustle" and making one free throw, they're pissed.
Now they have no way of showing their neighbors and relatives how their precious is trying so hard out there, and most of all it TOTALLY screws up their scrapbook collection.

 

Good luck, y'all. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.