Looks like my two year anniversary has flown by!
Leaving publishing enabled me to buy a home and break the clunker car cycle. I’ve built on my existing skill set and learned so much more. I think I’ve found my place.
For me the shift wasn’t terribly huge or hard. But here are a few observations on what was different and took a bit of getting used to…
Acronyms
So many acronyms. From BAU and COB to industry specific ones, they are endless.
Meetings
So many meetings. Some useful, some not so much.
Email chains
How long can you go? That is the question.
Microsoft everything
My last publishing job had me working on a Mac, and switching back to PC was a little rough. But mostly it was a bit of a learning curve getting the hang of basic Office-type things that I’d never really had to deal with before, from Track Changes to Powerpoint, booking meeting rooms and setting up appointments via Outlook, etc.
Big budgets
In comparison to where I came from? Everything is extravagant. Spending basically any amount of money is a luxury.
Ebbs and flows
There are more seasonal rhythms to work now, which I must admit is a nice change from daily madness. The wheels also tend to move slower. Along with a colleague who’s also an ex journo, I’m frequently bemused by how long it can take to get some things done. We’re used to getting on with it – no faffing about, no wasting money.
Having been ensconced in the public sector so far, I’m wondering if I want to venture into the corporate world at some point. But there’s still plenty of time to think about the long game.
Why do you think more journalists, with great writing skills, don’t become bloggers? They can own the entire vertical, will have endless content, and can claim all the reward!
Also, why do you think editors don’t write more? I keep asking my dad to write, but he won’t. Yet, he can critique my writing all day!
Sam
Yup. Journalism is like teaching: underpaid and underappreciated, by and large. A lot of friends have switched over to PR, marketing, or in-house publications for utilities or large corporations.
Friend of mine, an accomplished journalist, was telling me she persuaded a major national blog to up her per-word pay. She was very proud. I was floored: the fat increase took her to exactly the rate I used to earn THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. And that was with a regional, not a national publication. In those days, journalists weren’t what you’d call overpaid, either…
Really. We’d do better to greet shoppers at Walmart.
It’s good that you learned so many things in your previous job that you can still apply on you current one. Hope you make the right decision. Good luck.
Congrats on the job change! I’ve never worked in journalism, but I worked for a small job which was riddled with daily madness. Going non-prof has its own annoyances (but, seriously – how long can this email thread go???) but the change in pace has definitely improved my quality of life.