The Daily Commercial (Leesburg, Fla.)

[boots]

Hey, that is about an extra $1500 a year before taxes. Better than the guy saying the wage went in the other direction (though maybe that happens after you get hired).

That should help you pay for cable AND internet in your box.

it really is counter-productive to post about things you know nothing about. leesburg isn't the florida you are thinking of. and even if it was, it wouldn't be as bad as you are talking about. leesburg = middle of nowhere. you could find a two bedroom for 700 a month within 15 minutes of "city" center. that said, pay still sucks.

lots of things to knock. cost of living in this area of florida isn't one.

never been to leesburg, but the living still sounds steep. paying $700 for rent alone means after taxes your 24K salary would amount to one check going to rent and the other going to car/food/gas/expenses. anyway you slice it, it still sounds pretty hard to do.

Many on these threads are currently living that way. It's called life as a journalist.

 

[Ace]

Hey, that is about an extra $1500 a year before taxes. Better than the guy saying the wage went in the other direction (though maybe that happens after you get hired).

That should help you pay for cable AND internet in your box.

it really is counter-productive to post about things you know nothing about. leesburg isn't the florida you are thinking of. and even if it was, it wouldn't be as bad as you are talking about. leesburg = middle of nowhere. you could find a two bedroom for 700 a month within 15 minutes of "city" center. that said, pay still sucks.

lots of things to knock. cost of living in this area of florida isn't one.

never been to leesburg, but the living still sounds steep. paying $700 for rent alone means after taxes your 24K salary would amount to one check going to rent and the other going to car/food/gas/expenses. anyway you slice it, it still sounds pretty hard to do.

You could always get a roommate. May I suggest boots?

 

[rcsoxfan]

Being someone who grew up in the area around Leesburg let me say that if you're into nightclubs and parties, this isn't the town for you. The wages in the town and surrounding area, Tavares, Eustis, Mt. Dora, Lady Lake, etc. are all based for anything but the paper on the available personnel pool...mostly snowbirds who travel back and forth every year and are willing to work for minimum wage. The economy is based on the wrinkles that visit. There is no major industry but there is nice quiet living if that appeals to you.
Tavares High School has been notoriously bad for several years and Groveland and Clermont have the better of thearea. Leesburg is a nice town if you're raising a family and you like orange groves and retirement communities.
My best advice for anyone looking for work would be to consider what 23K will get you and where you have to go to find it. Orlando is about 30 miles away, while Daytona is a skip further.
Tampa is on the other side of the state and the beautiful people are farther south.
Leesburg can be a nice place to live, especially if you like living in the country, eating catfish in out of the way places and like walking or driving along a nicelake.
Hope this helps...oh by the way, the paper has a wide reaching scope, since the closest to it with another large circulation is Ocala, another area surrounded by trees...the Ocala National Forest...and beyond that you have a nice interstate highway that leads both directions...

 

[Cristiano_Ronaldo]

Also prepare to curse in the winter at all the bad drivers with Ontario plates...

 

[2underpar]

Did anybody on this board not struggle financially with that first job? hell, most of us continue to struggle many years after getting into the business.

 

[AJSmartschan]

It looks like this job is a distinct possibility for me. I'm not basing major life decisions on what I read on a message board (whether that's a good decision or not, I've yet to decide), but feel free to persuade or dissuade as you will.

 

[boots]

Go at your own risk.

 

[playthrough]

Go at your own risk.

That may be a little harsh. I don't know enough about the current environment and/or owners in Leesburg to pursuade or dissuade, and the financial rewards (or lack thereof) certainly speak for themselves. But some pretty good writers and editors at several Florida papers punched the clock in Leesburg in their younger days. Come prep playoff time you'll rub elbows with writers from Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete and Ocala. If you're doing your job well, those papers will remember you. It has happened before.

 

[boots]

If you love Ramen noodles, you'll love Leesburg.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

If you love Ramen noodles, you'll love (fill in the blank).

 

[Lucas Wiseman]

Ahh, memories... I worked at this paper for several years... hard for me to comment now because it's been so long since I've been there. I left there in 1999 and there is nobody left at the paper that I even know, which really isn't that surprising. When I was there the cost of living wasn't really all that high.. I had a nice, large one-bedroom apartment in a four-apartment building owned by an older couple and it was only $350 a month... of course, who knows what it's like now. I grew up in the area and it is one of the fastest growing areas in the country (according to a graphic I saw in USA Today last week). Anyways, wish I had more to offer but that's it... if you are fresh out of school looking for a job to get your feet wet, go for it. Several of the folks I worked with at this paper are at high-level positions at very large papers now.

 

[boots]

Ahh, memories... I worked at this paper for several years... hard for me to comment now because it's been so long since I've been there. I left there in 1999 and there is nobody left at the paper that I even know, which really isn't that surprising. When I was there the cost of living wasn't really all that high.. I had a nice, large one-bedroom apartment in a four-apartment building owned by an older couple and it was only $350 a month... of course, who knows what it's like now. I grew up in the area and it is one of the fastest growing areas in the country (according to a graphic I saw in USA Today last week). Anyways, wish I had more to offer but that's it... if you are fresh out of school looking for a job to get your feet wet, go for it. Several of the folks I worked with at this paper are at high-level positions at very large papers now.

Webby is proof that Ramen noodles = success!!!!

 

[Lucas Wiseman]

For the record, I have never once eaten Ramen noodles.

 

[boots]

For the record, I have never once eaten Ramen noodles.

Damn Webby, you know better than to let facts get in the way of a great story.

 

[SoMissGrad]

I held this job from 2005-06, it's a good job to have. The pay is just a bit higher than it was when I was there, but you can live comfortably on your own on the pay since Florida has no state income tax. There are some places like Blueberry Hill II apartments which fit comfortably in the pay range, and are only 5 minutes from work. Adam really taught me to get every single little detail of a story, which has helped me out a lot at my current job even though I cover public education just across the county line from Fulton County/Atlanta instead of sports now at the Clayton News Daily in Jonesboro, Ga. (Kids getting tied up, tasered and picking up mysterious rashes by the boat load, SWEET!).

Leesburg isn't the most happening town (OK, it's dead after 9 p.m. except for McDonalds, Walmart and a couple of biker bars) and the traffic in the area sucks, but it's a good place to start out. I found myself being sent everywhere from Miami, Orlando, Gainesville and the space coast to cover stories.

 

[SoMissGrad]

And for the record, while some journalists ate ramen noodles at their first job, I grilled steak (OK it was small steak, and I tended to over cook it) and kabobs on the weekends while I was in Leesburg. ;)