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Topic: I'm sick of journalism
| Author | Message |
| VeronicaJ42 | Posted – 11/27/2007 2:22:13 PM | show profile So I've been in this field for a couple of years, (yes, I know, it's only been a couple of years) and I realized that being an editor isn't for me. At least it isn't today. I'm sick and tired of the pay and unnecessarily long hours (all of the OT being unpaid). It's not like we're curing cancer or anything. I think even cancer-curers at least get paid overtime, or more than $11.75 an hour (after tax). Yes, I understand I'm an idiot for getting into this cutthroat industry without being completely passionate about it. I'm only 23 years old...what do I know about life?? Anyway, for those of you who had made the switch or are considering a more lucrative field...what can a person with an editor's background do?? Law school (yuck!)? Medical school (yeah right?)? Marketing? Can anyone out there in cyberland please help a poverty-stricken, quarter-life-crisis-approaching soul? FYI My friend in finance, who I'd argue has at least equal intelligence to my own, just accepted a job and is making $300,000. She's also 23. Perhaps this has something to do with it. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 11/27/2007 3:04:07 PM | show profile Geez, you're only 23. Grandma Moses started painting in her 70s, so lighten up. Forget for the moment what your background is or what field you can easily switch to in the path of least resistance. What do you want to do? What's your interest? What's your passion? |
| Sam Waynewright | Posted – 11/27/2007 3:15:35 PM | show profile Sick of journalism The problem in fact may not be journalism at all, but merely the fact that you have a crappy salary. If you could move suddenly up in salary by say 20-30 percent, would that make a difference? Also, perhaps the subject matter on your publication is not your cup of tea. Before you entirely jump ship, do think about simply changing decks or looking at other more comfortable cabins. And don't be too hard on yourself. You're just 23, and that's quite young. I'm double what you are and have had stacks of fun in journalism, but sometimes I get burned out too, especially as salary rates often do not compare with that of other fields. But few other fields have offered me that kind of things that journalism has. Also, frankly, I find it highly unlikely that your friend, at 23, is earning $300,000 per year. Frankly, it sets off what Ernest Hemingway used to refer to as his "Automatic BullShit Detector." Ask her to show you several of her weekly pay stubs. Since she has already boasted to you about her large salary, she is not shy about her income level, so there should be no reason why she won't show it to you. If she refuses, ask yourself why? Take your time and think about what you want to do with your life. Make a two lists on a sheet of paper, one listing the things you LOVE to do, big and small, and on the other sheet list the things that you HATE to do. Try to get a job in journalism, or elsewhere, that contains more of the LOVE list than the HATE list. If you can get a job that you absolutely love to do, and people are willing to pay you money to do it, that's a great career, even if you are making $40,000 instead of $400,000. I have a lawyer friend who makes about $400,000 and every time I see him his moans about how much he hates his job -- his company, his clients, his colleagues. But he is caught in the 'honey trap.' He buys a new car every year, has stacks of watches and wears cufflinks with his initials on them, but essentially he is one sad bastard. Good luck! |
| PluckyPane | Posted – 11/27/2007 3:27:27 PM | show profile | email poster No offense, but any job you go to will have long hours. That's the point of working your way up, and you should be giving extra hours to prove yourself and show that you're ambitious. That's how you get ahead! However, there is no harm in trying something new. Is it strictly the hours and the pay that are killing you, or do you hate writing and editing as well? Could it be the subject you are writing/editing? If you like writing, then try marketing or corporate communications/PR. You can make better money there and your hours will be a bit more regular. If you truly detest journalism and all of its charms, then now is the time to do some soul searching. You're close enough to college that you can still use its placement services for career counseling. The fact that your friend is making $300K is RARE, so don't let that deter you. A person who can write can do a lot of great things...how about grant writing? You could actually help to cure cancer. One last thought, don't think that a masters is going to be the next great thing for you. Figure out what you WANT, not what you think you want first before taking on that added debt. I know many would disagree with me, since it's harder to go back later, but the debt load of pursuing something simply because you may make a lot of money is foolish. You will be 30 and kicking yourself for getting a degree in something you don't like, plus paying for it. I speak from personal experience. Good luck. |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 11/27/2007 3:54:17 PM | show profile SJR is correct. You may not be passionate about journalism or its pay, but don't think it's easy in any other field. Realtors are hurting. Wall Street bonuses ain't what they used to be (too bad!). IBM pays as little as $20.00 per hour for senior people in IT. Did I mention lack of benefits? Things were good in the 1990s, but since 2001, you're either rich or poor. Find something you are passionate about and accept the fact that things are tough all over. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 11/27/2007 4:15:16 PM | show profile Hey Kid ... ... NEWSFLASH. You're only 23. The pay and hours are SUPPOSED to be terrible. I can't stand the youth of today with their "entitlement" attitude. Ugh. |
| Cookie08 | Posted – 11/27/2007 4:27:56 PM | show profile I'm also interested in hearing from anyone who made a successful switch from editor to another career. I think most of us have a love/hate relationship with our jobs, no matter what field - it's helpful to think about what else is out there, even if your conclusion is that being an overworked, underpaid editor is the right choice, after all. |
| VeronicaJ42 | Posted – 11/27/2007 4:30:26 PM | show profile I don't know if it's a matter of entitlement...I think anyone would agree that journalism salaries are notoriously low. It's easy to think you can hack it while you're living in the comforts of home, but once you're in NY and eating Ramen everyday, you gotta wonder why the hell you went through four years of college, busted your ass in internships, used every sliver of opportunity and hope in your means to get that first job, and then finding out your 16-year-old cousin makes more one night waitressing than you do all week. That's true story, by the way. The 16-year-old thing. I also know a few 23-year-olds who are making even more than 300k. Most work at Goldman Sachs or at hedge funds, and the 300k is post-bonus. |
| VeronicaJ42 | Posted – 11/27/2007 4:39:23 PM | show profile Hi all, I thought mentioning my age would make people raise their eyebrows, and you're right, I'm ridiculously young. But still, life is short. Why go through it poor? Entitled? Perhaps. I'm college-educated working in a professional field, yet I'm making less than kids at Starbucks (which is a great job, by the way, no offense to anyone working at Starbucks. You get a lot of great perks). And yes, to Nessa, my friend who is making $300,000 includes the bonus, and she is working at a hedge fund. Her hours are comparable to mine, too. I would not be complaining about my hours if I got paid even $40k. Though I am still curious as to what an editor's qualifications translate into other fields, if there are any? Has anyone made the transition? Seriously, has anyone who's started out in journalism become a doctor or something? |
| mkelly | Posted – 11/27/2007 5:14:50 PM | show profile >>Yes, I understand I'm an idiot for getting into this cutthroat industry without being completely passionate about it.<< Yes, you've pinpointed your problem precisely. You being in journalism makes about as much sense as me being in sales. I'd recommend figuring out what it is you DO feel passionately about, and then go pursue that. You'll be happier even with a bad salary, and won't be bugging us here. |
| keltoi2 | Posted – 11/27/2007 5:23:09 PM | show profile As others have said, figure out what you want to do with your career, and then go after it. If you enjoy journalism but not the pay, welcome to the club. Nobody gets into journalism to make money. You get into it because you can't imagine doing anything else. I started at $8,500 at Time Inc when I was your age (in the early 1980s). Kids at McDonald's were making about that. Worked my way up and wound up managing editor of a pretty hot mag for decent money. Made an unplanned switch (got laid off) to medical education 6 years ago, so, strangely enough, I am helping to cure diseases. Bottom line: decide what's important to you in a career, then steer towards it. |
| IHateMostPeople | Posted – 11/27/2007 5:26:55 PM | show profile Geez mkelly that's a little harsh. She's not bugging me. Pretty lame to say you're annoyed when someone else is spilling her guts out on an anonymous message board. You're saying she's the first to work a couple of years at a job and realize it's not for her? Perhaps it is *you* that is the idiot. |
| Cookie08 | Posted – 11/27/2007 5:40:40 PM | show profile Veronica, I completely relate to your situation. I'm envious of my finance friends making big bucks -- but then again, they're jealous of my "glamorous" publishing career (little do they know...). I guess the grass is always greener? Plus, it's normal these days to have several careers over a lifetime - I wish someone with experience doing this would weigh in, rather than those criticizing your post. |
| VeronicaJ42 | Posted – 11/27/2007 6:01:43 PM | show profile I don't know, I guess a lot of people haven't switched careers? Thanks for the nice words, by the way, and the not-so-nice ones. You guys aren't nearly as bad as the ESPN message boards I frequent. Sorry Liese, I don't know how else to ask! I know people can be nearly anything they want, I just wanted to see if any particular fields look at an editor's qualifications with higher regard than others. |
| leprechaunsy | Posted – 11/27/2007 6:21:53 PM | show profile Me, too I say change now. Do something that makes money. Sock it away, and in 5 years, go back to journalism if you want to. That's what I wish I would have done. It gets harder to make extreme choices as you get older. |
| PluckyPane | Posted – 11/27/2007 6:33:18 PM | show profile Veronica, Look at it this way...you may be making what they do at McD's full time, sans the free gut-busting burgers, but those who work at McD's will still be making your salary in 10 years (if they don't die first). Every career may have a different starting point, but it doesn't mean that within a few years the person who was making more initially will still be in the lead. Take, for example, the profession of nursing. A new graduate, even with an Associates, could make maybe $35,000 a year. Sound great, right? Not so fast. That same nurse may only get a 50-cent raise in her first year, then maybe 75 cents the next. My mother who has a MSN and 32 years of experience is making less than what I make now as a managing editor. Sad, right? The point is, the salary sucks in the beginning, but then some bigger jumps start happening. It sucks now, but guess what...you have to pay your dues. Seriously, listen to us on this board. Any job you go to will be sucky hours and potentially low pay. That's how you get ahead. Having a degree does not exonerate you from working from the ground up. These are your blood, sweat, and tears years. Prove your worth and you will be making a decent living. BTW, your financial friends who are pulling in fabu bonuses better stash that moola away someplace safe. The financial sector is crying in pain right now and layoffs are eminent. My brother, who is 27, is getting layed off as we speak. |
| PluckyPane | Posted – 11/27/2007 6:38:23 PM | show profile Manhattan Matt While I agree with you, your words are a bit harsh for someone who is reaching out for help. Veronica, whatever you do, just make sure you are making this change because you are truly unhappy instead of just bored with your life today. |
| hammer1 | Posted – 11/27/2007 6:40:36 PM | show profile Tough spot VJ: as you've already expressed, you knew the pay wouldn't be great. Conversely, $300k is the exception, not the rule. I'm with the "look for another journalism job" crowd. Sounds like you're not happy where you're at, not so much with what you do. Try another j-job...if you don't like that one, then you might think of moving on to another profession. The world is filled with former journalists doing other things. If you can communicate thoughts clearly and write well, even this age of electronic craziness, there will be a job for you. Good luck. |
| VeronicaJ42 | Posted – 11/27/2007 7:07:23 PM | show profile I think Veronica is echoing what a lot of us in this field feels. Though everyone is right, feeling underappreciated is all part of the game. Everyone has to pay their dues. Veronica, you'll get yours, I am sure of it. I think people are reacting SO strongly to your post because we've ALL been there. It is interesting to see if other people are bothered by the low salaries or have just come to accept them. So many 20-yos come in thinking this is a glamorous job, but then can't afford their $2000 rents. Always a Catch-22 in this field. At least with lower-paying fields (in my humble opinion), you don't have to work in NY (because let's face it, all the cool magazines are here). |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 11/27/2007 8:30:48 PM | show profile I'm not much older, but... It's something I definitely learned quickly (not quickly enough, I somethimes think) that the job you dreamed about while in school simply doesn't exist. At least not right away. Your youth will fade before you get it. But keep in mind that it doesn't matter what field you're in, starting out is starting out. ManhattanMatt--despite that his comments were far less than tactful--is right. You have to work to get ahead. The crappy jobs are reserved for people like you and I who are just starting out. People often tell me I'll miss these days, so instead of doing the young person thing and thinking they're wrong, I'm trying to enjoy myself living cheap. For me, all I know is that my job isn't great, but I'm writing for my paychecks. More than I can say when I was working in bars and coming home reeking of booze and cigarette smoke |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 11/27/2007 9:53:42 PM | show profile ManhattanMatt: she's only 23 and she knows what she's talking about more than you. the majority of media jobs have shit salaries and my advice to her is to get the hell out while she's still only 23. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 11/27/2007 9:56:37 PM | show profile Cieislawy: why not use your finance contact to try and get a foot in the door there? hell, i'd give up a fucking journalism job in a second for 300k a year. |
| mae | Posted – 11/27/2007 11:13:28 PM | show profile I'm confused ... Why is Veronica responding to herself in third-person? |
| arewrites | Posted – 11/28/2007 1:49:36 AM | show profile Good catch, Mae! Veronica, this is not finance. This is journalism. Every field has a different pay scale. Some are "glamour jobs" that pay little but have a certain cachet. Others pay well but have none. Some, here and there, amazingly offer both. But journalism will never pay what finance does. It's something you do with your heart, because you want to make a difference, because you can't live without writing, because of any number of things - but money isn't one of them. If $ is your motivation, then you are in the wrong field and should definitely move on. But bear in mind that there are millions, literally, just like you: college grads, reasonably intelligent, perfectly capable, with lousy salaries nonetheless. Going to college doesn't mean that you get paid well. It means, presumably, that you're educated. Nothing more. (And from the posts I see on these boards, half the time, it doesn't even mean that.) Figure out what your priorities are, and where you want to be in five years. Trust me, five years happens a LOT faster when you're out of school than it does while you're in. It's one of those weird things about life. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 11/28/2007 3:55:59 AM | show profile --I don't know, I guess a lot of people haven't switched careers?-- Lots of people switch out of journalism. However, those who are no longer journalists probably don't come to this board. Personally, I know ex-journalists who became lawyers. PR executives, marketing copywriters, a chef, a real estate agent, a paramedic, a technology consultant, a seminar leader, and a teacher. In some cases, the next career used their journalism skills or background; in other cases it was entirely different. |
