I'm always interested to read these types of threads.
The original poster mentions that he has a viable alternative job path in finance, through a family business. That's a luxury that most of us don't have -- a job waiting for us in another field whenever we want it. What that safety net in place, I'd say go ahead and give sports journalism a shot. My advice would be different if that wasn't the case.
As others have pointed out, the chances of working your way up the ladder are very low. If you're able to land a first job at a big, name-brand outlet, or someplace a step down from that, that's great. You'll won't escape the constant fear of being laid off. As someone else posted, seeing that happen to colleagues year after year is psychologically draining, even if it doesn't happen to you. But at least at a big outlet you'll be in a decent situation at a place that still has some semblance of a "sports department."
If you start out at a podunk community paper, your "department" might be just you. Or you plus one other person if you're lucky. And that means you'll have to be working all the time and doing everything -- writing, editing, page layout, photography, video, web publishing, social media, planning/organizing, and the list goes on. I think most people on this board would tell you that if your starting point is podunk, you're not going to make it to a major metro. May have been possible 20 or 30 years ago, but not anymore. So if your choice is between a podunk paper or the financial job, the latter is the much better option.
I worked at community papers for nearly 20 years and finally decided to get out. It was very hard to get my foot in the door elsewhere, but I eventually did and it was the best decision I ever made. I now work 40 hours a week instead of 55. I work no nights or weekends. And I took a significant step forward in salary. My quality of life is simply better now, and while I will always love sports journalism, I have no desire to go back.
Do what you think is best for you, be aware of the realities, and be glad you have an honest-to-goodness safety net. Most of us aren't so fortunate.
The original poster mentions that he has a viable alternative job path in finance, through a family business. That's a luxury that most of us don't have -- a job waiting for us in another field whenever we want it. What that safety net in place, I'd say go ahead and give sports journalism a shot. My advice would be different if that wasn't the case.
As others have pointed out, the chances of working your way up the ladder are very low. If you're able to land a first job at a big, name-brand outlet, or someplace a step down from that, that's great. You'll won't escape the constant fear of being laid off. As someone else posted, seeing that happen to colleagues year after year is psychologically draining, even if it doesn't happen to you. But at least at a big outlet you'll be in a decent situation at a place that still has some semblance of a "sports department."
If you start out at a podunk community paper, your "department" might be just you. Or you plus one other person if you're lucky. And that means you'll have to be working all the time and doing everything -- writing, editing, page layout, photography, video, web publishing, social media, planning/organizing, and the list goes on. I think most people on this board would tell you that if your starting point is podunk, you're not going to make it to a major metro. May have been possible 20 or 30 years ago, but not anymore. So if your choice is between a podunk paper or the financial job, the latter is the much better option.
I worked at community papers for nearly 20 years and finally decided to get out. It was very hard to get my foot in the door elsewhere, but I eventually did and it was the best decision I ever made. I now work 40 hours a week instead of 55. I work no nights or weekends. And I took a significant step forward in salary. My quality of life is simply better now, and while I will always love sports journalism, I have no desire to go back.
Do what you think is best for you, be aware of the realities, and be glad you have an honest-to-goodness safety net. Most of us aren't so fortunate.
