USEFUL RESOURCES FOR SOME, USELESS RANTS FOR OTHERS

How to (Voluntarily) Become an Ex-Journalist

With all the turmoil that has hit the newspaper industry and the uncertainty still to come, it’s little wonder that many journalists are considering a career change. On this page, I am posting a collection of my blog posts that offer advice on how to go about getting out of the newspaper industry mid-career. I hope this can be of some help to those who are looking to take the path I have traveled.

If you have any questions about certain aspects of getting out of newspapers mid-career, feel free to e-mail me and I will try to share whatever insight I have. I would also welcome any advice and resources you have to share on this subject.

I am also offering my services in editing resumes, portfolios, and application letters for journalists who are trying to make the jump. If you are interested, please e-mail me.

Other resources to help you become an ex-journalist

Some job boards

In case you were wondering …

Why are you doing this?

Because I’ve seen, in online discussions, journalists who are considering getting out of the industry but don’t know how to go about it or where they can jump to. Having made the jump myself, I felt like I had something of value to share when it comes to how to land a non-newspaper job using newspaper skills.

What makes you qualified to give such advice?

Nothing, except my own experience getting out of the industry. I got out in 2006 and have embarked on a couple more job searches since then (one voluntary, the other not). So I have a good deal of recent experience in looking for jobs where I can still utilize many of the skills I used in journalism.

Do these tips work?

All I can say is that they worked for me. Obviously everyone’s situation is a bit different, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was fortunate in some ways, especially being still relatively young (27) when I got out of newspapers and thus not having to take a real step down in the career ladder. Nonetheless, I think there are things to be learned from the experiences I had that can be applied to more general situations.

Do you hate journalism? Why are you trying to talk journalists into leaving?

My offering this advice doesn’t mean I don’t love journalism. I do. I firmly believe journalism has a future, perhaps a bright one. However, I’m not so sure about newspapers. What I do know for certain is that it’s a rocky time to be in the industry. I’m not about to ask anyone to sacrifice the next decade of their life trying to save an industry that won’t hesitate to kick them out the door. I’ve seen a lot of talk about saving the industry, but not much about saving the people in it. This guide tries to help those people save themselves, if they so desire, because they deserve better.
  • Share/Save/Bookmark