When to get out of the biz

[TheGreenJacket]

So what are the signs that it's time to hang up the mic and become a pharmaceutical rep? Boredom? Bitterness? Waiting x number of months for the next news director to call?
I would love to hear from the lifers out there who see the reporters and anchors leave, then say, "He/She should have left a long time ago."

[Head Janitor]

It is time to leave when you don't care what story, show or event you are doing. You just go through the motions and can't wait to get out.

I had a GM tell me once that if you don't get out of bed saying, "I get to play TV today" it is time to leave. I don't agree with that completely, but the sentiment is right to an extent.

[Bill-1]

A line I thought about when I quit my full time gig was "You're lucky if you can still cry when you get out."

[Gil]

It was time for me to get out of the business when I was told to leave. Up until then, I had major problems with my back and sleep apnea and indigestion and weight gain and excessive drinking.

A few weeks after being fired, I found I no longer woke up gasping for air. I didn't need to take Pepcid anymore. I was enjoying my family more and feeling fit.

That was 2001, and I got back into the business again, but I never had the health problems again. Getting out of TV for about 5 years was a great help for me. Your mileage may vary.

[Backup QB]

Originally posted by Head Janitor:
I had a GM tell me once that if you don't get out of bed saying, "I get to play TV today" it is time to leave.GM's are such BS artists. How they can crank out this nonsense and still look in the mirror baffles me. My old GM defined talent as "being at the top of your game even when you feel rundown". I'd call talent "something he couldn't recognize because he was dumb enough to fire Oprah".

[Almost Virga]

Hey Gil: a divorce did the same thing for me!

I think the best time to get out is when you have something better prepped and planned; always keep your eyes open. If, after intelligent evaluation, something looks better ... start the car.

Truck driving is starting to look cool.

[toddcountylegend]

I got out about 6 months ago when there were huge red flags that corporate was in the process of not replacing workers in our newsroom as they left.

Two months after I resigned 3 of the remaining 5 newspeople were canned.

I am thankful that I still get to dabble on an extremely part-time basis in media but I have a regular job that's paying me much more than I made in media.

[Grotto]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately myself. Thanks for the thoughts and tips so far...

[2:30]

When it's work as opposed to fun.

[alabamacracker]

I, too, got out of the biz for a few years after being shown the door. I figured if I was canned from an anchor gig in a mid-sized market after 10 years in the game, it was time to find another gig. After three years of working a decent job, but never making close to the same kind of cash, I got back in. I'm making good money and loving my job more than ever. A good recharge is a smart move if you can handle it.

[produce_or_die]

I agree with the poster who said "when it's work and not fun".

There was once a time when I bounded out of bed in the morning because I loved my job. I loved shaping my show, writing my scripts and diving into - no, make that *praying* for breaking news because I loved the rush of going at the big story on the fly. When I found myself years later, lying in bed with tears in my eyes at the thought of going to the station and trying to think of a "passable" illness, I knew it was time for me to head out.

You just have to take a step back and see if it's all worth it. If, at the heart of things, you still really love it...stick with it for a while. If you take that step back and realize you're indifferent....leave on a high note and look back fondly.

Good Luck! smile.gif

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally posted by toddcountylegend:
I got out about 6 months ago when there were huge red flags that corporate was in the process of not replacing workers in our newsroom as they left.

Two months after I resigned 3 of the remaining 5 newspeople were canned.

I am thankful that I still get to dabble on an extremely part-time basis in media but I have a regular job that's paying me much more than I made in media.What line of work are you in now? Just curious...

[toddcountylegend]

I am now working with my wife in her tutoring business. She started it on her own about a decade ago and reached the point where she has more work than she can do alone. I also am able to tutor several subjects (namely history) that were her areas of weakness.

I know that's a big jump from radio but our marriage is much stronger since we now work the same Sunday-Friday schedule.

[The Mockingbird]

I probably stayed in the biz for longer than I should have, but I had other reasons to stay in the cities where I was living.

There are people out there who still have great jobs, and work in great places, I'm convinced.

They are just becoming rarer.

I got out to a much better situation: better hours, a lot more pay, holidays off, and I'm actually doing something meaningful now.

It's going to vary for each person, though, depending on what skills you have. A starting job at some PR places is roughly as bad as TV gig, from what I've heard.

One other thing to consider: quite a LOT of people believe the TV industry is going to shrink in a major way. That means more supply, less demand for workers, which means companies are going to be in a position to hose their employees more.

There's always a naive young 20-something who will work for next to nothing just to be on TV; the colleges have seen to that by graduating 10x the number of journalists they need.

Most of those never even make it into the field, but what if the bar gets dropped a little lower? I encountered one "journalism major" when I was touring luxury apartment complexes for a new place this Spring. She told me she didn't really like the business, because quote "You had to watch the news every day."

My advice to you: if you're considering getting out, start looking around. Unemployment is at an all time low, now is the time. But don't leave before you have something set up, unless you're going to college and starting all over again.

[Almost Virga]

Well Mocky, besides the immediacy, I agree.

Have a place to land people, unless waiting tables would be a decent dock for you.

By the way, if nothing else sounds good, you might consider staying in this mess.

[rootboyslim]

I was going through the motions and was tired of being the go-to-guy when other reporters sat on their rears and did next to nothing, yet the ND loved them because they would do a song and dance in the live shot they planned all day---with little to no video/sound. Yep, a live v/sot in a days owrk. Me? Two packages and if I didn't get the two, producers would be bummed. But I still enjoyed the work and the camraderie. We got a new ND who loved my work and it was she, whom I had to tell I was resigning. That made it hurt the most. But when I sat back and saw that my wife was going crazy with three kids in diapers, I knew i had to do something. I got a call for a PR job and took it. Never seriously looked back.

So sometimes it's the family that lets you know and sometimes it's you. You'll know when it's time.

[miss hap]

Here's the test I run on myself: imagine not working in news while a big story breaks (one that normally get your juices going). Does this thought leave you feeling just a little ill?

If so, you're not ready to jump.

But if you're asking questions like this one, then you're ready to start looking. cruz the job listings and even apply. The ball's in your court.

[MyracleMan]

When you wake up in the morning, and can't stand the thought of putting another 8+ hours into a job where they tell you "it is what it is," and "we really don't have the budget to keep people long-term..."
...if you start seeing it as "just a job..."
... if there was a time when you couldn't miagine yourself doing anything else and, now, anything else looks better...

... then it's time to make the jump. My plan with geting teh degree I did was to spend 2-3 years gaining experience as a director in the market I was born in, and move on. Then, I met my wife. She has family here, too, and her parents are talking about moving back here in a year or so, and it's important to her to have family around when the kids arrive. So, since I have no chance for advancement, work really kinda crappy hours, and would actually like to be a part of my kids' lives... it's time to leave while I still have good memories and don't resent the people I work with for keeping me from my family.

Keep this in mind, however... no matter how attractive an offer looks on the outside, you'll find the same crap at any job. Just find something you'll be happy doing, and remember, it's just a means to an end... your job is not your life, nor should it be.

[TVMattNYC]

Originally posted by miss hap:
Here's the test I run on myself: imagine not working in news while a big story breaks (one that normally get your juices going). Does this thought leave you feeling just a little ill?
I always feel so relieved when major news breaks during my vacations. Then I turn the TV off and go play.

smile.gif

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Originally posted by TVMattNYC:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by miss hap:
Here's the test I run on myself: imagine not working in news while a big story breaks (one that normally get your juices going). Does this thought leave you feeling just a little ill?
I always feel so relieved when major news breaks during my vacations. Then I turn the TV off and go play.

smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]graemlins/icon_pray.gif I was fired once during Hurricane Season(well, contract wasn't renewed), and a nasty Cane' came through town. I joined the locals at the only bar in town that had power, and watched my station go non-stop, with horrible technical difficulties.....ahhhh, sweet sweet karma!

[The Mockingbird]

I remember how sweet it was not to have to write about Dave Matthew's poo anymore.

[overthehill]

2:30 is right. You get out when you realize your job is "work" and not fun.

Someone once told me the definition of "passion" is when you do something so intently that you don't look at the passage of time, don't glance at your watch. You are so "into it" that you don't care how much time passes.

I think you get out of this business when you start looking at the clock to measure your job...for something more than when my story is due.

[fletch f fletch]

Just celebrated being 2 months "news free".

For me, the signs were clear; I simply didn't believe in what I was doing, or better put, being asked to do. I didn't believe in the future direction of the business or the long term vision of my station's ownership.

To echo the sentiments of others who posted about ".....did you jump out of bed on the first big story that broke after you got out..."

uh-- no.

I watched for a while and reflected on my thoughts about the ones impacted--NOT who was covering the event the best, who was getting kicked and who wasn't even in the game.

There is life outside of t.v. news but you must only jump when the time is right for you. If you jump too early, you'll regret it. Too late and you may be too fried, burned-out, cynical etc. to be of much good to anyone.

good luck on your decision. For me, it's been one of the best moves I've ever made.

[NYC Street]

Overthehill and 2:30 said it exactly.

I've never felt that I was going to work once in my entire career...I still think I'm stealing the money. (And so do some of my bosses...I know...)

[Pinkie]

I think some of the posters here are spot on... you stay in as long as you're still having fun. I do think, however, don't get fooled into thinking it's fun ALL the time. It isn't. I have days when I don't want to go to work, when I hate the idea of having to cover another city council meeting, etc. Those are the days when you realize they pay you for a reason. However, I can't picture myself doing anything else right now, and I still get the rush of breaking news. In my experience, the people who've made it long-term in the biz are the ones who have a passion, but are able to check it at the door and go home and have a normal life. At the end of the day, it's only a job, you have to remember that in order to stay sane. This is a selfish, obsessive business, but from what I've found, the people who have the passion without the daily obsession tend to make it, with sanity in tact.

So in short, stay in as long as you still like it, but know that it's not going to be fun and perfect all the time. If you can't picture yourself doing anything else right now, stay in.

Just my $0.02.

[Sultanosurf]

Dunno about that 'when it's work and not fun' since plenty of places would've driven me out by that criteria.

It's personal deal, since plenty of people who derive no joy work in our biz, and succeed quite well in sucking all the pleasure out for the rest of us.

Cold as it sounds, maybe it comes down to dough. I have several pharmie friends, and they work a little and make a lot...

[toddcountylegend]

Originally posted by miss hap:
[QB]Here's the test I run on myself: imagine not working in news while a big story breaks (one that normally get your juices going). Does this thought leave you feeling just a little ill?

If so, you're not ready to jump.

QB]We had our first run of expected severe weather last week. In my old job I would've been running warnings in to the on-air anchor or I would have been going live with them as we went wall-to-wall on tornado warnings. Instead I was at home helping teens prepare for the SAT as well as a European History exam... all with the local radar going on one internet tab and the noaa wx warnings page on another. That was tough but I got through it (and it helped that the severe wx never developed).

I still miss it... but it isn't as hard to miss a job that has since been downsized off the corporate map.

[WalMartNation]

Left a good weekend sports job in the midwest after 3 family members died in a span of about 3 months... and I couldn't get to any of the funerals. Not because my station wouldn't give me leave time... but because I had moved my wife and son to damned far away we couldn't drive or spring for plane tickets on short notice.

It made me think much more about family, the fact that my son was growing so fast I barely ever saw him or my wife, was when I knew to get out.

What happened for me was a refresher... after a few months of working another job for better money, I was ready to get back in TV. Granted, we had moved closer to the family so it was easier, and I actually had a resume that a ND in market 14 would take the time to look at. Now I split time between a local government channel (good pay, good equipment, boring TV) and a station in the big city (crappy pay, old equipment, good TV, fun again)... and I still see my wife more then 1.5 days a week.

As much as I wanted to find a job outside of TV, I had better luck finding one back in broadcasting, too many times at interviews they'd say "Why did you ever leaving sportscasting? That seems like a great job!"

Just my $0.02 worth.

[cobracat]

Someone else nailed the reason I left: when the news business wasn't fun and exciting any more. With any luck, you'll simply know when the time is right to go do something else. I did 20 years ago. Never looked back. Made more money and loved life a lot more. Just retired from my second career...no regrets along the way.

[Who Cares???]

Not to hijack the thread or anything... but along the same lines...

Do any of you (lifers) that have retired or left the bizz for any reason, dream (sometimes nightmares) about the job you've had...???

A disability ended my career (and even though the doctors tell me it's normal) and I still have dreams (nightly) about work.

I wonder alot if I'm actually going mental over this... I retired after 30+ years, and that was almost 5 years ago. It hasn't let up...

Ok..Ok... I know this is getting off topic... but you are talking about getting out of the bizz, or making that decision to get out, it's gotta effect some of you (at times)to some degree...???

Maybe I should start another thread over in the medical threads... There is a medical thread...???

Some think I'm nuts anyway... They may be on to something.

[neodeity]

Last August, after 7 years at my current station (and 20 plus years directing newscasts), I moved to a regional cable sports channel. I loved doing news and I was good enough to survive for as long as I did; but my boss was (and is) a giant fun-sucker (Sultan I thought it was great we both used the same term for such awful people). For the first time in my career I worked for someone who actually wanted the department to not go the extra mile for a newscast. She actually told me I was "showing off" when I did something (that was effective and appropriate) to help in a live situation. She thinks that if we go above and beyond; then it will become expected (and then ultimately a burden). I'm so glad to be out of there. The people I worked with were great; but she, somehow, managed to suck the fun right out of TV - and that’s pretty hard to do. I’m so much happier now. I make more money and that's always nice; but now when I make a decision about a show, I'm only concerned with aesthetics and message - I don't care if it's easy or hard for the crew or myself. Easy or hard should have no place in such decisions; just good or bad (right or wrong). Sometimes it's not the industry, it's the job. Find something better, it sounds like its time.