Q: How many months or years should I plan to spend in any given newsroom job? I told my prospective editor I’d stay at least a year and a half if I were hired. Is this too short a time to get both the experience I need and a good recommendation before moving on to the next job? Also, if my editor wants me to stay longer, would I be committing career suicide if I left before then?
R.B.
A: Gee, there’s not much to go on here, but I’d say an 18-month commitment, as a minimum, is reasonable. If you make that commitment, you ought to keep it. One does want to keep his or her promises, career suicide issues aside. If the situation is terrible, or you find they lied to you, you could leave earlier — just as they would dump you if you lied on your application. Let’s assume they’re being honest, though.
It is a bit counter-productive to believe you must live after a certain amount of time. You might find opportunities that aren’t available to you now, a great editor, etc., etc. Commit to a minimum (at least to yourself), but don’t set a departure date before you even get there. Check it out first.
