I have been a working reporter for close to three years, and I am wondering when, and if, I should consider making the transition to a larger paper.
I began at a very small, local, semi-weekly paper and did what I consider some good work there. While at that paper, I turned down two job offers, one as an assistant editor for a small, nationally distributed political magazine, and one as a reporter for a daily with a circulation of around 40,000.
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I did accept an offer from a group of people starting a competing newspaper. I'm the lead local reporter and news editor. The circulation is somewhat larger (but still only about 3,000), the production and coverage are better, and I have more responsibility.
The new paper is a lot of fun, but the fact remains that it's small, and the pay is pretty minimal. While I'm having fun, I suspect that I'm not doing anything good for my professional ambitions by staying here too long.
I'm leery, though, of trying to transition to a larger paper. The bloodbath of job cuts at many dailies scares me, and I suspect that my pay as a journalist will never be much above poverty level.
So, my question is not only when to consider moving to a larger publication, but whether to continue in journalism. I love the work, but I'm getting married soon, and low wages simply will not cut it. One more question: If I do pursue a position at a larger paper, how should I go about it?
Thanks in advance for your time,
Mark
It sounds as though it is time for you to move on and up, and it seems as if you enjoy journalism enough to have some fun.
You could use a little more perspective, though.
While we are reading a lot about cutbacks in the industry, we're also seeing a lot of jobs getting posted (like in the Career Center, to the right). Every week, I hear about people getting new jobs -- and they keep them. The last thing an editor wants to do is hire people, move them and then lay them off. It can seem cruel and makes no business sense.
Fortunately for you, most of the troubles that accompany the realignment of our industry hit the largest newspapers hardest. The next circulation tier for you, say 10,000 to 50,000, have not been under very many of those alarming headlines. I'd go ahead and start to make my move.
Pull your good clips together, polish the resume and start scoping out areas and newspapers. Put quality ahead of sheer circulation size.
One more thing: I always advise people to pursue the things they love. If you love journalism, it's worth pursuing, but recognize that journalism is transforming -- and you will have to, also.
Coming Tuesday: He missed some internship application deadlines and wonders whether working for a state representative would be a good Plan B.
