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Fuck this job search!

It's not my job that I hate so much, I'm just effing tired of looking for a new one!

I'm a newspaper reporter who's trying to get another job out-of-state. My job search has now entered its 10th month, and it's ridiculous. I have more than four years' experience, not one blip on my resume, and a degree from an accredited journalism school. I'm torn on whether I want to stay in the profession--I'm sure all my fellow reporters can attest to the fact that the pay is totally shitty and we don't even have much job security anymore. Plus, all too many newspapers want their reporters to bust their asses and work all hours of the night and day despite the fact that we're barely getting paid enough to buy ramen. I've always heard that a lot of journalists "sell out" and go to PR. I've applied for numerous PR positions, even had a few interviews, and haven't gotten squat. I may have to take another newspaper job because that's all I can get.

I also have all the motivation of a habitual pot smoker. I cover a rural county where nothing much goes on, and it SUCKS. I'm much more motivated when I have a lot on my plate. Would love to hear from others in the newspaper business who are similarly pissed off!

I can't stand office ass-kissers, so I think you guys are awesome.

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Ah, memories
Submitted by theraininspain on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 19:47.

I spent years doing exactly what you are doing. I brought home $660 per month and was freaking out on how to pay the rent, my car, etc. Freaking mileage was also ridiculous. Newspaper journalism can be the best job ever - what, you talk to people and write it down? That's it???? But the pay sucks, the editors are typically loser drunk SOBs (at least mine always were) and the publishers wouldn't know real news if it bit them in the ass. I went to social services and have been working as a case manager, since my degree is in psychology as well as journalism. I'm bringing home nearly $3,000 per month - even in non-profit work - because I'm in management. Hone those interview skills and get out!

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$660/month? I hope that was f
Submitted by disgruntledjour... on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 21:01.

$660/month? I hope that was for part-time work! I take home about $1450/month and the only reason it's doable is because I live in a cheap-ass area where just about everyone is poor. (It's not the hood, just rural America.) Hell, even my piddly salary provides me with a solid middle-class lifestyle. My problem is that I want to move to a more expensive area, and I find that journalism salaries are pretty much disgustingly low across the board. Ridiculous.....especially because it IS a profession that requires a college degree. And don't even get me started on that. I learned everything on the job and found my college education to be fairly useless.

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Nope, not part-time
Submitted by theraininspain on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 23:06.

It was 60 hours a week, and because I was young and female and working for a 3,000 circulation (yeah right) daily, they paid me as little as possible...I only stayed because I could lie about being on a story when I needed to pick up my sick daughter from school!

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It's too competitive
Submitted by anticorporate on Sun, 03/04/2007 - 02:49.

My first job was in journalism, and although I was right out of college I quickly realized that the newspaper/journalism field is brimming with people who all think they are going to be the next Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. If selling out by going into PR means a hefty salary increase, by all means do it. Dreams don't pay bills...ya gotta be practical. Then again, PR is really like a pseudo-science too, filled with people are expert bullshitters...not a great environment there either. I would venture into web publishing, freelancing or some kind of contract writing until I could transition into a more fulfilling job.

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