Do I have to quit?

[Mizzougrad96]

Within three weeks of getting my buyout, I had a few offers to stay in journalism. All would have required me to move, which I had no desire to do. My wife's family is nearby. My family is reasonably nearby. My wife has a very good job. I live in a good place to raise my kids.

All of those things were much, much, much more important than staying in a field that at the absolute least, puts a strain on most marriages/families.

My career was always important to me, but when compared to my wife and kids, there was never any question what was more important to me and it wasn't close.

 

[Sir Sid]

The best advice I ever got in journalism was "Don't love your job or your paper because it won't love you back."

Completely agree. Problem is, it's hard for some to accept this until they get their heart broke by a paper.

I can say with complete honesty the only time I ever miss my newspaper time is Friday afternoons when I know I'd be sitting at home about to go cover a game. Then I leave work at 430 and go do whatever I want on Friday night and don't have to get up at 8 on Saturday morning to go to a cross country meet and feel a lot better.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The best advice I ever got in journalism was "Don't love your job or your paper because it won't love you back."

Completely agree. Problem is, it's hard for some to accept this until they get their heart broke by a paper.

I can say with complete honesty the only time I ever miss my newspaper time is Friday afternoons when I know I'd be sitting at home about to go cover a game. Then I leave work at 430 and go do whatever I want on Friday night and don't have to get up at 8 on Saturday morning to go to a cross country meet and feel a lot better.

A few years ago, I was out with my wife for her birthday and I got a call from the SE, who knew my plans for the night and he said, "They just signed someone. I need 14 inches on it within the hour."

I said, "This guy was not on a NFL roster last year. It's a brief. I'm in no position to write."

After having to get up from the table and argue with him for five minutes, I just said, "Just send me to the slot."

The second the slot answered he said, "Why don't I just write it up for you?" and I thanked him profusely. They ended up running it as the second brief.

At my first job one of the writers once told me, "If you ever go on vacation, tell them you're leaving the country, otherwise it won't stop them from calling you no matter how tiny the news is."

 

[Dick Whitman]

Never,

It's clear from your post that you love your job more than your wife/girlfriends. So you need to make that work for you and not stress over it being an either/or thing.

I feel really sorry for anyone who chooses a job (especially in journalism) over a spouse or kids or both...

Read the Steve Ellis RIP thread (if it's still around) ... in the midst of the heart attack that set him up for his shuffling off the mortal coil, he made his wife hold off on calling the ambulance so he could finish a recruiting story.

This is a true story? My God.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

This is one reason I'm glad the girl I'm talking to now works (sort of) the same schedule I do -- except she gets off an hour earlier than I do. She is finishing up her degree and will graduate in a few days, and will hopefully be able to switch to her normal M-F, 3-11 shift in the next couple of weeks.

Past girlfriends couldn't deal with the schedule for one reason or another. Oh well.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

Never,

It's clear from your post that you love your job more than your wife/girlfriends. So you need to make that work for you and not stress over it being an either/or thing.

I feel really sorry for anyone who chooses a job (especially in journalism) over a spouse or kids or both...

Read the Steve Ellis RIP thread (if it's still around) ... in the midst of the heart attack that set him up for his shuffling off the mortal coil, he made his wife hold off on calling the ambulance so he could finish a recruiting story.

This is a true story? My God.

He didn't want to cost the kid a scholarship.

Sad to hear about that death, though.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

she gets off an hour earlier than I do.

I read this post with great respect.

 

[expendable]

she gets off an hour earlier than I do.

I read this post with great respect.

Must have something to do with the "KY." :D

 

[Shoeless Joe]

The best advice I ever got in journalism was "Don't love your job or your paper because it won't love you back."

Completely agree. Problem is, it's hard for some to accept this until they get their heart broke by a paper.

I can say with complete honesty the only time I ever miss my newspaper time is Friday afternoons when I know I'd be sitting at home about to go cover a game. Then I leave work at 430 and go do whatever I want on Friday night and don't have to get up at 8 on Saturday morning to go to a cross country meet and feel a lot better.

A few years ago, I was out with my wife for her birthday and I got a call from the SE, who knew my plans for the night and he said, "They just signed someone. I need 14 inches on it within the hour."

I said, "This guy was not on a NFL roster last year. It's a brief. I'm in no position to write."

After having to get up from the table and argue with him for five minutes, I just said, "Just send me to the slot."

The second the slot answered he said, "Why don't I just write it up for you?" and I thanked him profusely. They ended up running it as the second brief.

At my first job one of the writers once told me, "If you ever go on vacation, tell them you're leaving the country, otherwise it won't stop them from calling you no matter how tiny the news is."

When I'm on vacation or out of town, I tell one person in the office "If YOU need something that you know I only have the answer to, call me on your cell phone. I won't answer any other number that comes up because my phone will be turned off (wink-wink) for the week."

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I went on a 10-day cruise once and when I came back I had 12 messages from the office.

Did the coach quit? Was the star player kicked off the team? Was the NCAA descending on the school I was covering at the time?

No, just bull**** stories that had to be written, so who better to bug than the guy who is on vacation?

 

[Sir Sid]

I went on a 10-day cruise once and when I came back I had 12 messages from the office.

Did the coach quit? Was the star player kicked off the team? Was the NCAA descending on the school I was covering at the time?

No, just bull**** stories that had to be written, so who better to bug than the guy who is on vacation?

Took three vacation days over the 4th of July something like Thurs-Sun. Before I left made sure my stuff was all in for the Sunday paper on Tuesday. Finished e-mail saying "call me today or tomorrow if you need something, since I'll be in an area I know for sure doesn't have cell phone service."
Saturday I go to the top of the hill to make a call, sure enough there's three voicemails from my panicked boss wanting to ask me some stupid ass questions he could have asked me four days earlier.

God I don't miss him or the angry feeling I got seeing his number pop up on my caller ID.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I got called in on New Year's Eve one time, around 6 or 7 p.m. over some trivial news development that is lost to history now. I just remember being about as pissed off as I've ever been at a job. I was actually hosting a New Year's Eve party that night. Girlfriend in from out of town. The works.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I went on a 10-day cruise once and when I came back I had 12 messages from the office.

Did the coach quit? Was the star player kicked off the team? Was the NCAA descending on the school I was covering at the time?

No, just bull**** stories that had to be written, so who better to bug than the guy who is on vacation?

My friends still in the biz say this is one thing that has been fantastic about furloughs -- labor laws are very strict regarding what a furlough is, and if the employer initiates any contact at all the employee is off furlough and considered to be working that day.

 

[21]

You can't be married to another person if you're married to your job. There is no such thing as 'having it all.' What you devote to one part of your life, you take from another. When you take too much, something is going to fail.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I went on a 10-day cruise once and when I came back I had 12 messages from the office.

Did the coach quit? Was the star player kicked off the team? Was the NCAA descending on the school I was covering at the time?

No, just bull**** stories that had to be written, so who better to bug than the guy who is on vacation?

Took three vacation days over the 4th of July something like Thurs-Sun. Before I left made sure my stuff was all in for the Sunday paper on Tuesday. Finished e-mail saying "call me today or tomorrow if you need something, since I'll be in an area I know for sure doesn't have cell phone service."
Saturday I go to the top of the hill to make a call, sure enough there's three voicemails from my panicked boss wanting to ask me some stupid ass questions he could have asked me four days earlier.

God I don't miss him or the angry feeling I got seeing his number pop up on my caller ID.

A friend had Denis Leary's song "asshole" as the ringtone whenever his boss called.

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

WTF? Do I need to go to a shrink?

No, just don't get married.

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

I feel really sorry for anyone who chooses a job (especially in journalism) over a spouse or kids or both...

I feel really sorry for anyone who has a broad convince them to do things they don't need to be doing. My wallet also feels sorry for those.

Just because you decided to take the dive and do what society tells you to do, doesn't mean you're any better (or worse) than those who decide to do things their own way.

Go spend a day in divorce court, then toot your own horn after that.

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

It's clear from your post that you love your job more than your wife/girlfriends. So you need to make that work for you and not stress over it being an either/or thing.

Exactly. While working in the salt mine may not be the ideal situation, intentionally taking a job you absolutely hate because you have the burden of a ball and chain, mortgage and children to support, well that just sounds like hell.

 

[Stitch]

It's clear from your post that you love your job more than your wife/girlfriends. So you need to make that work for you and not stress over it being an either/or thing.

Exactly. While working in the salt mine may not be the ideal situation, intentionally taking a job you absolutely hate because you have the burden of a ball and chain, mortgage and children to support, well that just sounds like hell.

Which is worse, a girl you have sex with telling you what to do or an SE bugging you about some insignficant story?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I feel really sorry for anyone who chooses a job (especially in journalism) over a spouse or kids or both...

I feel really sorry for anyone who has a broad convince them to do things they don't need to be doing. My wallet also feels sorry for those.

Just because you decided to take the dive and do what society tells you to do, doesn't mean you're any better (or worse) than those who decide to do things their own way.

Go spend a day in divorce court, then toot your own horn after that.

Anybody who calls a woman "a broad" who was born after 1940 is a douchebag.