What's next after journalism

[YankeeFan]

Coffee machine repairman?

Sounds like he's laughing all the way to the bank and he's his own boss.

Why some seem intent on mocking the guy is beyond me.

They left out espresso machines. That's where the money is.

How many threads have we seen on this board from people looking for a career change?

But I post a thread giving step by step instructions on how to do it and it gets mocked. Jokes on them.

I don't care if anyone here decides to fix coffee & espresso machines, but if it helps one person, it's worth it. And, I hope it inspires some people to think about the steps they can take to change their circumstances.

If you want a career change, you need to be proactive -- and sometimes even take a step backwards. It's not going to just happen.

 

[Azrael]

Don't knock insurance. The greatest Modernist poet in America worked in the insurance business most of his adult life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stevens

 

[YankeeFan]

Don't knock insurance. The greatest Modernist poet in America worked in the insurance business most of his adult life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stevens

Insurance -- at least retail insurance -- is a long term gig.

You make a little bit off of each policy, but you make a little bit off of every one, every year.

So, at first, you don't make much, but if you can build up a large enough client base over time, you can make very good money.

If you're really intent on breaking into it, try to find an independent broker who's looking to retire in a few years. Work for him/her and buy his business when he retires.

 

[Stitch]

Move to western North Dakota and work in the oil fields.

In all seriousness, I wish health care reform led to true portability. If the U.S. used a single-payer system, would that lead to more entrepreneurship? I'm sure many people would like to start their own business, but they don't want to give up or pay through the nose for health insurance.

 

[YankeeFan]

Move to western North Dakota and work in the oil fields.

In all seriousness, I wish health care reform led to true portability. If the U.S. used a single-payer system, would that lead to more entrepreneurship? I'm sure many people would like to start their own business, but they don't want to give up or pay through the nose for health insurance.

This is why I don't think health insurance should be at all tied to employment.

Let's face it, even if your employer pays your insurance, it's not free. Its all built into your compensation and is factored in when hey make hiring decisions.

You don't lose your car insurance or your home when you leave your job. There's no reason you should lose your health insurance or for your employer to be involved in that transaction.

Let individuals get the same tax benefit. let me buy across state lines. Let me buy a policy that works for me. Take out some of the mandates that drive up costs. I don't need everything you think I do.

I would love to just be able to buy a simple catastrophic policy - a get hit by bus or come down with cancer policy. And there's no reason why it couldn't be offered at a low price.

I can count the number of times I've gone to a doctor in the last 20 years on my fingers.

No health problems. No prescriptions. No reason for me to have to pay a lot for insurance or to have to go through my employer to get it.

 

[Stitch]

Move to western North Dakota and work in the oil fields.

In all seriousness, I wish health care reform led to true portability. If the U.S. used a single-payer system, would that lead to more entrepreneurship? I'm sure many people would like to start their own business, but they don't want to give up or pay through the nose for health insurance.

This is why I don't think health insurance should be at all tied to employment.

Let's face it, even if your employer pays your insurance, it's not free. Its all built into your compensation and is factored in when hey make hiring decisions.

You don't lose your car insurance or your home when you leave your job. There's no reason you should lose your health insurance or for your employer to be involved in that transaction.

Let individuals get the same tax benefit. let me buy across state lines. Let me buy a policy that works for me. Take out some of the mandates that drive up costs. I don't need everything you think I do.

I would love to just be able to buy a simple catastrophic policy - a get hit by bus or come down with cancer policy. And there's no reason why it couldn't be offered at a low price.

I can count the number of times I've gone to a doctor in the last 20 years on my fingers.

No health problems. No prescriptions. No reason for me to have to pay a lot for insurance or to have to go through my employer to get it.

Don't get me started on health care. The line item charges for tests, procedures and services are worse than options on a new car.

But if the consequences of not finding something because you don't want to pay for a test is worse than not paying for heated seats.

 

[WriteThinking]

Only you can answer the thread-starting question.

My advice is to figure out the answer to it before you and newspapers are done.

Otherwise, you may have trouble searching for, finding, or being really happy in whatever ends up being next for you. None of this is impossible, of course, but the process is much more difficult if/when you have no idea where you're going, or where you want to go.

Also, journalism is a bit of a hard sell for unrelated occupations, things totally outside of the realm of writing, PR and the like.

Most of the time, it will do nothing for you -- or, at least, be seen by potential employers as doing nothing for you -- if you actually want to totally change careers.

So, if this is what you want, you truly will be starting over...which, of course, presents its own set of challenges.

 

[SixToe]

Friend of mine was a prolific magazine writer in a niche field and gave up about 25 years in the biz to become an oil-gas pipeline examiner out in Texas.

He drives around in a company vehicle, checks the pipelines and pumps, has benefits, weekends and holidays off, as much overtime as he wants and is making a steady paycheck. He's also making probably twice as much as he did before, at least, and has never regretted a second of making the move.

 

[golfnut8924]

It's kind of funny how when you meet new people and they ask you what you do for a living and you say "I'm a journalist" they get a little excited and say "Oh wow that's so cool."

But then when you go to a job interview for something outside the industry they look at your resume and say, "Journalism, eh? Sheesh."

 

[Baron Scicluna]

It's kind of funny how when you meet new people and they ask you what you do for a living and you say "I'm a journalist" they get a little excited and say "Oh wow that's so cool."

But then when you go to a job interview for something outside the industry they look at your resume and say, "Journalism, eh? Sheesh."

This is absolutely true.

Practically every interview I've been on that has been non-journalism and/or non-PR has been, "Wow, you have such an interesting background. Why do you want to do (what we do)? Don't you want to stay in journalism?"

Which then leads me to telling them how newspapers are going the way of buggy whips, and how the skills that I've learned, although it may be hard to believe, are very transferrable to what they do. So far, no one has bit.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Coffee machine repairman?

Sounds like he's laughing all the way to the bank and he's his own boss.

Why some seem intent on mocking the guy is beyond me.

They left out espresso machines. That's where the money is.

How many threads have we seen on this board from people looking for a career change?

But I post a thread giving step by step instructions on how to do it and it gets mocked. Jokes on them.

I don't care if anyone here decides to fix coffee & espresso machines, but if it helps one person, it's worth it. And, I hope it inspires some people to think about the steps they can take to change their circumstances.

If you want a career change, you need to be proactive -- and sometimes even take a step backwards. It's not going to just happen.

You enjoying your life? Circle one YES NO

If you circled "yes," **** what anyone on here says.

 

[Lugnuts]

YF, I didn't get a chance to comment on your other thread, but I think you're very cool. Just wanted to say that.

 

[YankeeFan]

YF, I didn't get a chance to comment on your other thread, but I think you're very cool. Just wanted to say that.

Aw. I'm blushing. Thanks.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

It's kind of funny how when you meet new people and they ask you what you do for a living and you say "I'm a journalist" they get a little excited and say "Oh wow that's so cool."

But then when you go to a job interview for something outside the industry they look at your resume and say, "Journalism, eh? Sheesh."

You should have seen the face on a lady who interviewed me for a job about a year ago when she saw my degree in journalism.

You would have thought I had just told her it took me three tries to pass the GED.

I must admit, I really liked it early in my career when I would tell people what I did and would get a response like, "Oh my god, that's a dream job." or "Wow, can you come speak to my class and tell my students about your job?"

A friend of mine in the business once said, "It beats lifting ****."

That can be journalism's new motto.

JOURNALISM : IT BEATS LIFTING ****.