I can point to a number of things that eventually led to my eventual escape. I'm still pretty young, only 26, but I left my job this past January after putting in five-plus years of service to my hometown paper, during which time I was never hired full-time or was given a raise.
When I started I was nothing more than a sports clerk, answering phones, helping news with late obits, so on and so forth. I was in college and I didn't mind. I naive enough to believe the experience was getting me somewhere. I remember hiring on in December and immediately being called the day I accepted the job to come in because some guys were short on hours. A week later the holiday schedule came out and I was scheduled for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day. That was a rude awakening.
After three months on the job one of the prep writers left to write for a local magazine in town. I was asked to pickup the slack. I was eager and welcomed the chance to get out of the office. I didn't expect to get hired full time and never said a word about it. In the summer a hire was made to replace the writer and I went back to answering phones and occasionally did some stories when time allowed.
After another 8 months or so that writer left for another job. I still had a year of school left but approached my SE about the job. He said that the publisher wouldn't allow me to be full time until I had a degree. So once again I picked up the slack, basically becoming a full time prep writer, only without the benefits and making $7.00 an hour.
As summer approached another hire was made. Kid about my age, but with a degree. He finished out the high school baseball season and plunged right into legion ball (its huge in my area). He wasn't at our shop for long though. I had asked off for two weeks to take a trip outside the country in July. When I returned he had been let go due to cutbacks (my favorite was the publisher asking him to finish the feature he was working on and they paid him freelance...about 30 bucks). So once again I assumed the role of full time prep writer without being full time.
He was never replaced and I continued on, being the good soldier. I graduated and approached the powers that be about being full time. I was told it couldn't happen and then I asked about a raise, also told couldn't happen. I explained that I had worked there for 3-plus years and felt that I had gone above and beyond my job description, but no dice. So I continued on. I worked 30-35 hours a week for the next two or so years with no benefits at 7 bucks an hour. Sure I could have left, but I genuinely liked the staff and this is where I wanted to work, just full time. My family lived in this town and I kept hoping for that full time.
So in November of this past one of news clerks had left for a full time and a new one was hired. One day I struck up a conversation with her and learned she was making a $1.50 more an hour than I was, even though she had just started. She wrote no stories. I believe her main job was answering phones, typing the weather and dealing with any late obits. I was hacked off. I made my decision at that point that I would make my escape.
I finished out the year and turned in my two weeks after the first of January. When asked why I told them I had worked there for 5-plus years at 7 bucks an hour, waiting for a full time job that never came. I also didn't like the fact new clerks were being hired at a higher pay scale than me and the fact I was doing full time work while still only getting part time pay.
I still have a good relationship with them surprisingly and they call me a lot wanting me to do freelance which I do because I enjoy the writing. However, I don't think I would ever go back even though I was never officially full time.
