Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Has Firing Ended My Journalism Career?
I'm a 25-year-old journalist who accepted a staff-reporter position just outside of San Francisco. A dream job of sorts for any beginning reporter. My first day on the job was surprisingly smooth. And I even had my first breaking-news story published on page one. I was seemingly on my way, but then as the days and weeks passed, I found that high level of energy and pure interest in honing my craft dwindling more every day.
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I wasn't learning as fast as I wanted to, and editors had to constantly tell me things twice. I had hit a slump of sorts because I had very little interest in my beat as the law enforcement reporter. Two months into my job, I grew incredibly lazy in my reporting and writing, and it showed. Editors were concerned for me, and just last week, I was fired. I was only there for four months.
I became overwhelmed with the work at times, missed home and even became bored with work. ... But so did everyone else. This isn't a good explanation for giving up. And I pride myself on seeing tasks through to its end. I'm not a quitter, but it seems as though I gave up on my job and thus eliminated myself completely from ever regaining a job as a journalist.
I've always known that I want to write for Arts & Entertainment, preferably magazine-style writing. I even somehow landed a gig writing for A&E at a large daily and placed far more emphasis on a freelance gig than I did my own full-time job.
I was somewhat relieved when I got fired. That is the most disturbing part.
Now I am stuck in the Bay Area, jobless and wondering where to go from here. Do I still have a chance at getting back into the journalism game? How do I bypass the newspaper job and go straight to magazine?
Respectfully,
JJ
You were in the wrong medium and working on the wrong content. That's valuable information as you try to focus your career.
I would try alternative weeklies and A&E Web sites.
If you have trouble landing a full-time position, try to assemble a stable of noncompeting clients. And I hope you have been able to hold onto that gig you had freelancing for the large daily. That is a clip builder, a potential reference and a source of income.
If anyone asks why you left your newspaper job -- and you should not try to hide that job -- say you were in the wrong place and are now on your true career track.
Coming Wednesday: A project he worked on with others has earned some nice awards. He now wonders whether his resume should reflect that he was part of a team.
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