Some advice?

[bl67550]

Hey guys, Ive been browsing your boards for a few days, it was nice to find a little site like this that displays such a comprehensive look at the jobs available out there.
Im not sure if I'm allowed a topic like this but Ill give it a shot and see what happens.
Im 24 and at a crossroads; I have been working freelance for several newspapers for the past two years and am now back in college where Im attempting to finish up a professional writing(english) degree and move on to the real job market.
However, from the sad starting quality I've witnessed in the newspaper business(primarily pay but also the possibility of relocation to a less-than-desirable location) I have started to strongly consider a PR job in sports.
So my question I guess is what is the best avenue?
At this point I just want to be able to live relatively where I want to and find a decent paying job and perhaps have the possibility of advancement to the pros.
I've been working at the students newspaper at AppState, but I quit that once I started to question my career path.
Do you guys think there would be good opportunities for internship on campus towards the PR path?
Any and all advice would be much appreciated, Im really just struggling to find my way in this field right now, I know there can be money in sports, I just need the start..the hardest part right?
Thanks all,
Bryan

 

[Moderator1]

Bryan - I moved this over here because it will get more views and it is the right spot. We try to keep the jobs board for discussion of specific jobs (though sometimes we veer).

Go talk to the sports information office at your school and see what they offer and what other schools in the conference offer. I have some student help when I was at VCU but it was unpaid. Also, check out www.workinsports.com - lots of internships available there.

PR is a better route than the news business these days, it seems. Old news gatherers like me wish it weren't so but I have a hard time making an argument that isn't. There will always be jobs in news but they'll be much fewer and harder to get and probably pay less.

Look at what we saw today - cuts at USA Today and the Washington Times may be about to eliminate its sports section.

 

[bl67550]

Thx Mod1,
I realized I had posted it in the wrong area pretty much as I posted it, thx for the response too, I am going to send out a prospective email to our SI dept.

 

[Harry Doyle]

At this point I just want to be able to live relatively where I want to and find a decent paying job and perhaps have the possibility of advancement to the pros.

Let me know when you find it. Then I'll be asking you for advice. In the meantime, do good work, apply for anything that you find remotely interesting. Don't get a girlfriend. Become a networking fiend.

 

[Moderator1]

Thx Mod1,
I realized I had posted it in the wrong area pretty much as I posted it, thx for the response too, I am going to send out a prospective email to our SI dept.

No.
Put on a nice pair of pants and shirt (no tie needed) and go over and introduce yourself. Firm handshake, look the man/woman in the eye and state your business.

 

[flexmaster33]

Yes, definitely take Mods' advice...make a personal contact. The SID staff goes through tons of e-mail each day and you'll just get lost in the shuffle. If you want work, be bold.

 

[Karl Hungus]

The SID staff goes through tons of e-mail each day and you'll just get lost in the shuffle. If you want work, be bold.

I can't stress this enough. We get TONS of emails, and it will get lost. It's important to separate yourself, as someone with genuine interest, from a student that's trying to get a last-minute internship and doesn't really care about the work.

Make the appearance - they all won't be there, but someone will.

 

[Karl Hungus]

One other thing - if you're going to make a personal appearance, look at the upcoming events schedule first. Go in on a day when nothing's going on. It's basketball season right now, and we have goofy schedules.

 

[mustangj17]

I cannot, with a good conscious tell you to continue look for a job in a journalism field, as I am a 24-year-old trying to get out of the industry.

Limiting yourself to sports will make it hard to find a job.

 

[Joshua Armstrong]

Wherever you go, in any field, try to learn EVERYTHING about your job -- who handles what, how and why. Be a sponge.

I disagree with Harry Doyle: Go ahead, get a girlfriend (or a boyfriend, not that there's anything wrong with that) or whatever you need to stay sane. I burned out by devoting my life to the daily miracle, and I have been doing better at my job ever since I've been working to live, not living to work.

Good luck, Bryan.