Ask the Recruiter

Q. I'm a veteran registered nurse who always had a passion for broadcast journalism. I was dissuaded from pursuing my interest 25 years ago by my parents who adamantly believed I would starve to death unless I went into a recession-proof job. They were correct, in a way, but I've always yearned to return to my first love.

Anyway, I'm working on a certificate in broadcast journalism at my local college. What are my chances of finding a job as I'm not a youngster any more?  I'm not interested in working in front of the camera.

Monica

A. Two things are in your favor. One is that you like production work. Another is that there is so much more demand for it. The demand comes from some places that were not even thinking about broadcast 25 years ago. With video's emergence on the Web, almost every large news organization is working to post Webcasts. They all need producers.

You also have two things working against you. One is that most of your work experience has not been in broadcasting and might not immediately appear to be very transferable to the new career you desire. The other is that now that you have eaten for the past 25 years, you'd probably prefer to keep doing so. The wages you are likely to command as a person new to video might make it tough for you to get started at a reasonable wage. If you can bridge that wage gap and are good enough to close it, you have a shot.

Remember, though, this is a very tough time to break into traditional mainstream media. Many are getting rid of people, not adding them. As you job hunt, look to any company that is making video, not just traditional broadcast stations. Besides media companies, you'll find video at more and more training companies, on company intranets and as viral marketing on platforms like YouTube.

Coming Friday: One of the lucky ones, she has offers to consider. But how does she negotiate her pay? No one ever covered that.