What WOULD it take for you to leave this business?

[for_the_hunt]

Portland's paper might be gone, there's layoffs in Raleigh, possible layoffs in Palm Beach, probable layoffs at Gannett, no raises at McClatchy, and Sam Zell has lost his company about $20 million a day --- and all that's just from the recent Page 1 posts.

In 1985, the average salary was a little more than $22K. Two decades later, some college grads with journalism degrees are making less than that. And don't forget about that memorable food stamps thread.

It keeps getting worse. Does any other site, dedicated to bringing people of one profession together, have a sticky on "Getting out of the business"?

So, put simply, good news in this business is about as hard to come by as $1 gasoline. Still, most journalists put up with it ... but, at what point, do you say enough's enough and get out of the business? Or wouldn't you, no matter what?

 

[sportschick]

As soon as I find something else, I'm gone. I reached the jumping off point about six months ago.

 

[slappy4428]

McDonald's to stop running background checks.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The right buyout offer.

 

[pallister]

Leaving is easy; staying gone is much more difficult.

 

[BYH]

Leaving is easy; staying gone is much more difficult.

Ain't that the ****ing truth.

 

[Ace]

A decent job offer.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

A decent job offer.

That would leave me much better off than I am now.

 

[Ace]

Well, pretty soon a bad job offer may look good.

 

[Songbird]

My answer is somewhere between sportschick's and mizzougrad's.

 

[Riddick]

I remember reading about some paper offering employees one year's salary if they accepted a buyout. I'd at least leave for that much, and try to stay gone from the industry.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I don't ever want to get out of this business. I've been doing this for five years now, going on six, and I love it.

But the future absolutely scares the **** out of me. I'm afraid of the unknown. I just can't imagine doing something else for the next 50 or so years until I can retire.

 

[Songbird]

Embrace the future, KY, but live for the moment.

 

[pallister]

Unless you're broke and in-between jobs. Then just hang out at your apartment for a while.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't ever want to get out of this business. I've been doing this for five years now, going on six, and I love it.

But the future absolutely scares the **** out of me. I'm afraid of the unknown. I just can't imagine doing something else for the next 50 or so years until I can retire.

Not having any job security can make even the most passionate writers want to get the **** out.

I have friends who have top jobs at top papers whose hearts skip a beat every time their bosses call.

That's what it's come to.

When you wake up every morning and work your ass off and do everything right and you know that it won't matter... That makes you hate your job.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I don't ever want to get out of this business. I've been doing this for five years now, going on six, and I love it.

But the future absolutely scares the **** out of me. I'm afraid of the unknown. I just can't imagine doing something else for the next 50 or so years until I can retire.

Not having any job security can make even the most passionate writers want to get the **** out.

I have friends who have top jobs at top papers whose hearts skip a beat every time their bosses call.

That's what it's come to.

When you wake up every morning and work your ass off and do everything right and you know that it won't matter... That makes you hate your job.

I haven't gotten to that point.

Yet.

I know people who are like that, and I feel for them. Job security really isn't an issue for me, at least I hope it isn't. But with us getting sold in the near future, who the **** knows what's going to happen?

 

[Joe Williams]

Leaving is easy; staying gone is much more difficult.

I think leaving is hard for a lot of us, unless there is a good buyout offer on the table or unless we just lose it one day when we're told "no raises" and "more work."

As for staying gone, that pretty much is decided for us now by the bean counters and the shrinking industry.

One year's pay and one year's medical would do it for me. Maybe even a little less, just to get on with the next part of life. (But, psst, don't tell the bosses that.)

 

[joe_schmoe]

If there was a good buyout offer on the table, or an equal paying job out there I'd leave. Future just ain't bright, and I'm in one of the lucky places right now.

And yeah, staying out is hard. I've left the biz twice, came back twice.

 

[buckweaver]

Changed jobs recently, haven't been here long enough to get a decent buyout offer. They'll have to kick me out the door and padlock the damn thing.

... unless, of course, I get an unsolicited offer from somewhere.

 

[Songbird]

bucky, you're the first one I call if ever I have the power to hire.