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Here's my situation: I've been with the same newspaper group for four years. I started out as a reporter for two years at a 13,000-circulation daily that is part of our four-paper group. I moved up to copy editor on our centralized copy desk, then to wire editor. Now, in addition to coordinating wire content for the four papers (One's 25,000 circulation, and the other three are each about 13,000 circulation.), I'm coordinating content for the larger paper's Sunday edition, and I'm the on-duty Saturday editor. I'm thinking if I just stick it out over the winter, I'll have some managing/assigning experience and multimedia skills, and I'll be in a better position to find a job in the spring.

Here's my problem: I have no idea where my career is going. I've always felt that it's been my editors, not me, who have carved my path so far. I don't know if I want to be an editor -- I definitely don't want to be a city editor, mostly because of the schedule. I really have a problem working nights, weekends and holidays. The only newsroom job I can think of that might fit is features editor, but these jobs seem few and far between.

Here are my questions:

• With my experience, where do I go next?
• Is there any newsroom job that will allow me to have nights, weekends and holidays, or am I just kidding myself (Will things get better at a bigger paper, schedule-wise?)?
• What size newspaper can I/should I aim for next?

Thanks,

Kate

Most career paths are a hybrid of accident and design. Surprise opportunities, editors' recognition of your skills and your own self-direction push things along. Generally, more experience has led to greater self-direction over one's career. But we are now in a period of rapid change. The landscape is always changing. New needs and jobs seem to develop overnight. This throws a little more accident into the equation. Keep up with what's going on in the industry, and invest in your own development to keep greater control over your career.

Joe Grimm

As you evaluate your options, think hard about how you can increase your opportunities in a digital, continuous newsroom. People with editing and production skills could become even more valuable.

I would not say that hours are going to get better in a world where we are trying to cover more hours of the week. And I don't think that a tight focus on schedules is an effective way to drive a successful career. However, that may be necessary to have a good work-life balance.

Consider which hours you can work. When our children were young, it was beneficial to work nights, and a 3-year-old doesn't know anything about weekends. So-called lousy hours helped us share childcare responsibilities. When they began school, of course nights and weekends became very important -- but I also needed flexibility for daytime parent-teacher talks and after-school sports. Now, with children grown, I work early -- but can work nights again. And I have been taking on a little more weekend and holiday work. The secret is to consider your real needs, to be flexible -- and to understand that we never really get entitled to certain shifts.

I understand what lousy shifts you don't want to work, but are there shifts that others want to avoid that wouldn't inconvenience you?

The larger question, career-wise, is what you should do next. Ask the editors who know your work best to engage in some career counseling, and tell them what you like and feel you're best at. Ask them what jobs are developing and how you can get ready for the ones that are best for you.

You may not need to change papers at all. You could decide you need to for a greater challenge, a bigger arena or whatever, but if you like your present company, see about moving up within the group. Good editors should help with that, too.