New career ideas for journalist

[Anonymous]

The problem with being a former journalist is that you're not a professional. Journalism is a trade, after all -- it's not a profession.

Some outside the box ideas for your skillset:

Anything in sales (you had to "sell" your stories to editors, so yes you can do it). So, car sales, real estate, etc.

So-called "private journalism." The Market Intelligence niche is lucrative, especially in the lobbying sector. The need to synthesize and communicate information quickly is critical.

Insurance claims -- your investigative skills would be valued.

But the key thing here is you're going to have to get over yourself a little bit. It's wonderful that you were an investigative journalist who made an impact -- but you're going to have to check your ego. Your next gig will not be that rewarding, full stop. I've been there, done that. Journalism was the best job I ever had -- front row seat to history, first-name basis with the president of the united states, etc. But all good things come to an end, and now I'm working for a living. It sucks, and it's a hard adjustment. But the sooner you make it and stop referring so disdainfully to occupations as "the dark side" the more successful you'll be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with being a former journalist is that you're not a professional. Journalism is a trade, after all -- it's not a profession.

Some outside the box ideas for your skillset:

Anything in sales (you had to "sell" your stories to editors, so yes you can do it). So, car sales, real estate, etc.

So-called "private journalism." The Market Intelligence niche is lucrative, especially in the lobbying sector. The need to synthesize and communicate information quickly is critical.

Insurance claims -- your investigative skills would be valued.

But the key thing here is you're going to have to get over yourself a little bit. It's wonderful that you were an investigative journalist who made an impact -- but you're going to have to check your ego. Your next gig will not be that rewarding, full stop. I've been there, done that. Journalism was the best job I ever had -- front row seat to history, first-name basis with the president of the united states, etc. But all good things come to an end, and now I'm working for a living. It sucks, and it's a hard adjustment. But the sooner you make it and stop referring so disdainfully to occupations as "the dark side" the more successful you'll be.

This. Stop dismissing everything as beneath you and do some research. Writing white papers is nothing like PR. Communications is a huge area with tons of varies aspects to it. Go meets some former journalists and, you know, INVESTIGATE what they actually do. As a former journalist turned marketer/writer, I can tell you my job is a lot different, but very rewarding in myriad ways. Oh, and I can still pay my mortgage.

[Anonymous]

wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

OP was absolutely behaving like some paths are beneath him/her. OP also seems to view herself/himself as some sort of social justice warrior, which isn't really appropriate for a journalist, but I digress. But the references to having an impact, stories referred to by lawmakers, winning awards all point to an inflated view of himself/herself. It's not an uncommon affliction for journalists -- I know from personal experience. And it will be critical to develop a little more humility to take the next step.

I find the amount of navel gazing in journalism to be breathtaking. It can come as a rude shock to people when they leave the newsroom that people aren't as impressed with you as you think they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Um, he/she called it "the dark side."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

Not to mention the wholesale combination of PR and marketing into the same bundle/path to be dismissed. Referring to thought leadership as "just jargon to describe PR." Well, no, actually, it's not. And if you think PR and marketing are the same thing, well, you're not nearly as bright as you think you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

that's just what journalists call pr - we have a weird relationship with pr people. we need them, we hate them, we call them the dark side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

that's just what journalists call pr - we have a weird relationship with pr people. we need them, we hate them, we call them the dark side.

And you think they're beneath you. Yes, you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

OP was absolutely behaving like some paths are beneath him/her. OP also seems to view herself/himself as some sort of social justice warrior, which isn't really appropriate for a journalist, but I digress. But the references to having an impact, stories referred to by lawmakers, winning awards all point to an inflated view of himself/herself. It's not an uncommon affliction for journalists -- I know from personal experience. And it will be critical to develop a little more humility to take the next step.

I find the amount of navel gazing in journalism to be breathtaking. It can come as a rude shock to people when they leave the newsroom that people aren't as impressed with you as you think they are.

that might be true. i didn't read that post as someone saying she was better than everyone else, or a social justice warrior. just laying out her qualifications and asking how they could be put to use. i could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

that's just what journalists call pr - we have a weird relationship with pr people. we need them, we hate them, we call them the dark side.

And you think they're beneath you. Yes, you do.

pr people have words for us, too, i'm sure. not very nice ones. because they need us, they hate us, as well.

ANYWAY - we are getting way off topic. i think op was asking (and i'd like to know, too) what former journalists do after the reporting stops, beyond pr and marketing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

that's just what journalists call pr - we have a weird relationship with pr people. we need them, we hate them, we call them the dark side.

And you think they're beneath you. Yes, you do.

pr people have words for us, too, i'm sure. not very nice ones. because they need us, they hate us, as well.

ANYWAY - we are getting way off topic. i think op was asking (and i'd like to know, too) what former journalists do after the reporting stops, beyond pr and marketing.

Jayson Blair became a life coach.

[Anonymous]

How comfortable are you in assuming the role of content expert in an advocacy role? Many organizations value former journalists as potential leaders who understand the value of communications.

So, for example, if you're interested in prison reform, you could lead a particular program at a non profit - no need to start your own non profit, just lead (manage, direct, fundraise, etc) a programmatic area. Depending on your experience you could go in at a VP level. You'd have to may a good case for not being a hands off journalist but someone who is ready and willing to work in an area where you have passion and want to advocate change.

In addition, many foundations - who fund these sorts of programs - value communications, and so being a program officer at a foundation could be a career path. Those are competitive jobs that are hard to get, but possible via networking.

There is a TON of work at the foundation level on the importance of good communications.

You might fund you need to enter an organization in the communications department, but can quickly switch to a specific program.

I'd think a lot about what you wanted to do - of the various contacts you've made, who did you enjoy interacting with the most? Who did you interview and think, wow, that's a cool job? What types of work seemed really interesting to you?

Then network, talk around, figure out what kinds of jobs are available at what levels. But I think one of your first decisions is whether you want to have broad work in a particular speciality (so doing communications or thought leadership or marketing in a particular area) or expert level focus in a particular area (becoming an expert on prison reform, global climate change (a particular area), or whatever area you know and care a lot about.

[Anonymous]

I think you must be new in my office OP. I'm at a local university where a new person who used to be a journalist thinks she is too good to do real work. She's an adjunct professor and is scheming to get a full-time gig here.

Beyond teaching OP - you could:

1. be a career coach for others in journalism looking to transition out

2. work at a trade association on issues you like

3. be a temporary or freelance writer

You might want to start going to "Over40" Meetings here in town. They have a lot of great, free, seminars for transition workers.

Your tone could use some work. You seemed argumentative and defensive for any suggestions made here. No one will want to work with you with that attitude. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow - you guys are terrible. op isn't the former journalist, first, and second - i didn't see anything in there that said she thinks any of these other jobs are beneath anyone. just, was wondering about options other than the obvious one, which is to go into communications, marketing or pr.

i am a current journalist, also wondering about options. not dismissing pr because it's not good enough for me. but because i already know it's one path that lots of my cohort take, and wondering what other ones are out there.

and you know what? i bet all of us do more investigating than just posting on a message board. but are also posting on a message board.

Referring to pr as "the dark side" isn't dismissive or implying that the field is beneath OP?

that's just what journalists call pr - we have a weird relationship with pr people. we need them, we hate them, we call them the dark side.

And you think they're beneath you. Yes, you do.

pr people have words for us, too, i'm sure. not very nice ones. because they need us, they hate us, as well.

ANYWAY - we are getting way off topic. i think op was asking (and i'd like to know, too) what former journalists do after the reporting stops, beyond pr and marketing.

Jayson Blair became a life coach.

HA!