My journalism career had been getting ready to die for some time. When I graduated from journalism school, I couldn't find a Real Job, even though I sent out something like 400 resumes to a variety of publications. I did find some part-time and free-lance work. Still, it was a struggle. I had to do temporary clerical work and I was really bad at that. One of the reasons that I went in for journalism was so that I wouldn't have to sit at a desk all day! Also, I could get paid to be nosy!
At one point, I was even a social welfare examiner for the local Department of Social Services! I was especially terrible at that! I had to fill out forms all day and be mean to poor people! I lasted six months before I got canned. Getting canned from such an oppressive job was actually a relief!
Well, my last freelance newspaper job got killed off by someone other than me! The bookkeeper at the newspaper where I was working decided that the newspaper's money could be spread around... with himself! Over the course of several years, he helped himself to $75,000 (at least!). When he was caught, he had almost nothing to show for all of that money that he had swiped. Apparently, he spent it all at the casino. He was sent to prison, which is where he currently resides.
The publishers of the newspaper then got rid of all of the freelancers, citing a lack of funds to pay aforementioned freelance reporters/photographers. And I was doing both: reporting and photography. Because it was a small-town weekly newspaper, I wrote about a wide variety of topics, including artists, road reconstruction, and school activities. The pay was atrocious! It was low from the standard of third-world countries, such as Bangladesh.
Still, I was disappointed when the job ended.
Since then, I have worked "freelance" at a variety of little jobs, including housecleaning, gardening, and babysitting. I also worked as an election inspector.
I try to do all of these jobs because I am saving my money to go to Latin America this winter for a month to take a refresher course in Spanish at a total immersion program.
I have discovered that I really like working outside. It minimizes the effect of my auditory processing disorder (I get badly overstimulated in active, echoey indoor spaces). Plus I love working with the plants.
So that's pretty much it... the demise of my journalism career.
Sigh. It was fun while it lasted although, for sure, it was not at all lucrative.
I'm interested to know how your journalism career died?
I would be really interested to find out what your next step(s) do turn out to be -- what works and what doesn't. I've had to do some trial and error, one job was absolutely fantastic but temporary, one I quit after a week and a half, it was so 'not me' after all.
