Q: I graduated college three months ago and got my first job working as a reporter about a month ago at a 21,000-circ. daily. I love it so far and can definitely tell I'll get some good clips here that would enable me to start looking for a job at a bigger newspaper in about a year. However, I'm already being faced with a situation I knew I would come to eventually. My significant other has been given a job offer that's too good to turn down, and he has the option of moving in about a year from now -- but he has to let them know in four months where to. It's a little hard to coordinate a job search within those time constraints, especially because I know most newspapers rarely start looking to fill positions six months ahead of time. So here's my question: What happens if you move for personal reasons and can't find a job in journalism where you're at? Every time I imagine thinking of working in another field, I get sad and depressed. I also have high goals for myself and know that taking a break from journalism can hurt me big time. What can I do to ensure that even if I do have to move to a specific area, thus greatly limiting the number of newspapers I can apply to, I can stay in journalism?
We do have the option of staying where we're at -- it just means I would have to stay on at my current newspaper about two or three years longer than I wanted to. Should I stay and keep the security of a job in journalism, or should I take the plunge and hope I can get another job? (I do have one big bonus on my side -- I have a lot of experience with online reporting.)
Teresa
A: I wish I could give you an easy answer.
It is clear that you love what you're doing, and there's a lot to be said for that. I would get in to see the newspaper in the other city or cities, to get an idea whether the newsroom culture there is as good as the one you're in. See whether there might be more than one paper you could jump too. Ask the editors what you would need to do to move into position there. With that additional information, you'll be better prepared to make a good decision. You like being a reporter. Use your reporting skills to make your choice.
