Sick of it...

[Higgs22]

Hey...I'm new here, so if this isn't the right place for this, forgive me.

Just stumbled upon this board--wish I had found it years ago...I've been working as a sports editor for a group of weeklies for well over four years, I've been with the company as a general assignment reporter and editor for almost eight years now, and I'm just kind of done with this gig.

I like the sports aspect of the job, but everything else has just gone downhill. We cover a wide area, and now it's just me and some freelancers (with really no experience). I'm in the office all day editing and then covering games at night and on the weekends, so it gets to be a bit of a grind. To top that off, the only salary movement I've seen in 4+ years is a cut about 2 years ago. I'm looking to get out, and thought about going back to school, but with a young kid, that's really tough to fit in the budget (thankfully my wife makes good $$$ and carries the insurance). School is still an option, but I'm also looking for a new job at the same time. I've been looking into trying to find a telecommuting job so I can work from home and pick up some freelance stuff on the side to keep a hand in and make some extra money. Does anybody have any advice on where I should look? Has anyone gone back to school? I was thinking of PR/Communications, I have a BA in journalism, so I thought that field would dovetail with what I already have....

Thanks

 

[Dan Hickling]

welcome, newbie ... now fetch me some chowdah and cidah!

 

[steveu]

I'll have a Budweiser tall...

You're on the right track. Be on the lookout for jobs that delve into media relations or public relations... you may have to look hard to find them, but jobs are out there.

If you have experience with StatCrew or other stat programs, think about joining a college as an assistant sports information director or an SID.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[Ace]

He does have a good question.

Is there much legit work-from-home stuff that a writer/editor can do that's not a scam and that pays more than $1 for a 500-word SEO-enriched article?

 

[UNCGrad]

Push for an SID job at a small school if you can. I had 12 years in small daily newspapers as an SE, and went through the same thing. I couldn't handle the idea of covering preps into my late 30s. (No offense to those who love it; I just lost the passion for it in a small town). I didn't know StatCrew, but I have a boss who values laying the writing on me and is patient while I learn the program, which isn't tough to navigate, but does take some getting used to for inputting stats. Also, I handle most of the media relations while he focuses on game operations, so it's a good fit. I have a pretty extensive commute, and there's some travel involved, but I also work from home about one day a week, and pretty much all of May-through-July. Oh, and I haven't had one complaint about my writing in 16 months. You don't know how good that is until you experience it.

 

[Higgs22]

LOL---I'll think about it Dan...

Thanks for the good advice there though--I was wondering if I was on the right track...I've been looking at the colleges for a while...I'll keep doing that...

 

[Big Circus]

Higgs, I love your Twitter feed!

http://twitter.com/#!/dadboner

 

[Baron Scicluna]

First, Higgs, unless you really have a great relationship with your bosses, I would have tried to have been just a bit more anonymous, otherwise, you might be forced into looking for a new career, instead of just looking on your own, if you know what I mean.

Second, as has been advised on here before, are there ways to cut down your workload (coaches sending in results, less game coverage)?

 

[Dan Hickling]

Higgs ain't his real name ....

 

[Ace]

Higgs ain't his real name ....

Always thinking one step ahead. I like that.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Higgs ain't his real name ....

Perhaps, but "digital index operator at Spacely's Space Sprockets in Orbit City for four years" winnows the field quite a bit. Unless he's the chief cognator at Cogswell's Cogs. In that case: well played, Mauer.

 

[Stitch]

What type of degree is the OP looking for if he went back to school? You don't have to pay for it out of pocket if you find the right program. I won't pay any tuition for my masters, and work on campus, plus teach a community college class. Teaching might be tough without a masters, but you should be able to piece together something to get by for a few years.

 

[Higgs22]

OK--I did make some edits in the OP--probably closing the barn door after the horse is out, but oh well...

 

[imjustagirl]

OK--I did make some edits in the OP--probably closing the barn door after the horse is out, but oh well...

Removed my post as well.

 

[Higgs22]

Thanks...

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I edited my post as well.

 

[Greenhorn]

My undergrad journalism program had several "visiting" profs who didn't have a degree beyond a BA teach some writing/reporting courses so it is possible. But to teach, say mass comm, at a community college you would need a MA in journalism/mass comm or a MA in any field plus 18 graduate credit hours in mass comm.

Adjunct work can be a fun (and relatively easy) way to pick up some good money, but it provides no health benefits. Best of luck Higgs.

 

[User 1019]

http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/combat/special-forces-communications-sergeant.html

You want a communications job and a raise? Here you go. Special Forces communications sergeant.

Now fetch me a drink, newb. And I don't want no cheap ****. Bushmill's 16-year old will do just fine.

 

[flexmaster33]

good luck with it...I'd say try for the college route either in PR or the SID department. I did something similar about 2 years ago...spent 6 months searching it out but no one bit on me. I have a friend in PR work at a local community college and it seems like a pretty cush job for the most part. Better pay, more time off...of course there are other stresses involved I'm sure. And you have to be a pretty good schmoozer.

 

[SFIND]

In your next postgame interview, tell the coach you slept with his wife at halftime, and that it wasn't any good (later claim this was just a bad joke). Let him punch you, and fall to the ground. Take advantage of the wife's insurance at the hospital. Sue the coach for the injury, and then claim it strains your neck to look at a computer screen, and file for workmen's comp for a couple of months. Enjoy the vacation.

Then after a couple of month's off around the whining kid and complaining wife, covering Timbuctoo vs. Clarksville game on Friday may not seem so bad.

In all seriousness, good luck with whatever you decide to do. Choose something you enjoy, because we only get one chance.