Q. As major media companies have announced layoffs and/or plans to revamp their newspapers, I'm stumped on what to do next and wondering if I'm stuck.
I've been at a 50,000-circulation daily newspaper almost two years, where training has ceased and quantity more often than not overcomes quality. I'm anxious to get to a larger metro daily.
Mentors and those in the business have said sit tight and wait for a better hiring climate. But companies are now laying off more than ever at many of the papers I aspired to.
Will those jobs ever be replaced? Should I move on to other options and let go of my goal, or should I wait out the hiring freezes and layoffs?
Have I reached as far as I'll get in daily newspapers?
Feeling StuckA. Sitting tight is rarely a good career strategy, and it is not wise in these times to think of oneself narrowly as a newspaper journalist. Now is the time to get very busy on learning skills for a transforming industry. It changes; we have to change.
While a well-trained staff can be a company's greatest asset, training is not solely the employer's responsibility. If training has been cut, as it has been in many places, step up your investment of time and money in yourself. After all, your skills are likely what is bringing you the largest share of your income. It's important to grow them.
As you do that, broaden yourself. You can learn a lot in your own newsroom -- for free -- by sitting with people who have skills that are different than your own. Learn from them. Eat up the lessons on Poynter Online and in NewsU and elsewhere on the Web. Use local universities, adult education programs, conferences and smart friends. Once you settle on some new but compatible directions, you will find some momentum and may break through a wall somewhere.
Waiting will just not get it done. This is not a cyclical recession -- one of the ups and downs of the economy. It is a recession laid over a permanent shift in our industry.
Coming Friday: He has dabbled in print, broadcast and online, and his long-term goal is to get to NPR. He wonders which medium will work best. We suggest another way to analyze that.
If you waited for your sources to call you instead...
