What's your new career?

[Another OMB]

I know there are a lot of posters here who used to be in the business but have gotten out. I think there are some still in the business who would like to get out but aren't sure what they could do after having done nothing but teevee.

Most of the former reporters I know are now doing PR, so that's an obvious choice. I'm wondering what other careers are good next steps after being in this business, and what's involved in getting into them?

I know Spike is going back to school to be an accountant. I've seen several others of you mention that you're no longer in the biz and have better pay, better hours and more satisfaction, so I'm curious. (All the back-and-forth with Matt in NYC about his unhappiness in the biz also prompted this thread).

Just for background, many days I love my job. I've been doing it for 23 years, I'm good at it and it's hard to imagine doing anything else. But there are plenty of others when I don't like it, and there's also the growing concern about the direction in which the industry is heading. Because this is all I've done, I think that's one reason it's hard to imagine doing anything else.

I'm also married, with two children. We have a mortgage and my wife stays at home, so I'm limited as far as being able to quit my job and go back to school.

[overthehill]

I jumped to university life full time (after some years doing PT teaching while still in the newsroom). I spent 25+ years in TV and radio newsrooms.

I switch hit on campus--teaching broadcast journalism courses and do a little TV and video production. I also get to do a little documentary work. It's something I've always wanted to do but commercial TV didn't allow time or a time slot for it.

Life is more PRO-active now, less re-active. I have "time" to plan, think and get ready, rather than re-act every day to breaking news, broken live trucks, staffing, etc. Few weekends, more vacation, pay was a lateral move. Fewer chances now for large annual salary increases because I'm dependent on state budgets/our governor. I miss the people I worked with in TV news and the hum of a good news day. Little else.

PM me if you have questions.

[Clever Login Name]

21+ years in the biz ... the last 2 or 3 spent just being miserable with the direction my station and the business as a whole was headed in. There were still occasional moments that I enjoyed, but mostly I saw it as regurgitating the same crap every day for no real apparent reason.

An opportunity in city government opened up and I jumped at it ... still working in video and "news" kind of projects, but in a longer form without the hassle of 3am phone calls from 22-year-old producers telling me I needed to check out an accident they heard on the scanner that "sounded bad" but they weren't sure where it was. Pay is better, hours are about as long, but I know when the long days are going to be and can plan accordingly for them, and I now have a sense of doing something worthwhile. The new gig has kept me in a city I love and where my children are growing up, so there was no uprooting of the family, another added bonus. And I don't miss the news business one bit ... rarely watched it when I was in it, but watch even less now. When I do, it's as laughably bad as it was when I got out, if not worse.

For those who will be ready to chime in here with a "So why do you still post on a media-related forum?", I think I still have something to offer in terms of experience and advice on the journalism side, and the sarcastic, snarky side of me can't give up Open Line.

That's my story, for better or worse. I have friends I worked with in t-v news who got out long before I did and kept telling me how great life was outside the business. I'm finally getting to see that for myself now. Given the direction local news is headed, I strongly urge others to get out too.

[sportzchick]

Ditto to CLN. Working in Gov't TV now.
Better hours, better pay, better situation all around. Not as "sexy" as sports, but definitely has given me a better quality of life.

I still get to produce, shoot, direct, edit and be on camera a bit if I feel up to it or the job calls for it.
I always liked the creative aspect of TV... i just get to do it in a less stressful environment now. (and more family friendly)

[Sigonfile]

I'm in the process of getting an online degree in Gynecology.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I'm in the process of getting an online degree in Gynecology.
Careful you don't download a yeast infection.

[Sigonfile]

I thought it was kind of odd that the patients featured in the online exam were named "Trixie" and "Luscious".

[WOS]

25 + years in the biz. Now do marketing/sales/ etc and moved into management. I finally got to NOT do all the moronic things all the bad news directors and managers I worked for did to me, and treat employees like real people, and let them do their jobs. I love it, and they love it.

[Spike]

I know Spike is going back to school to be an accountant.

Auditor, to be more specific.

[TVMattNYC]

Auditor, to be more specific.

I've often fantasized about becoming a bank examiner.

[east coast producer]

Auditor, to be more specific.

My younger brother graduated in May 2007 and became an auditor. He makes $18k more than I did out of school ($13k adjusted for inflation), and $7k more than I did in 2007 until I moved back East and got hooked up with Manhattan union wages.

[The Mockingbird]

I've often fantasized about becoming a bank examiner.

...at the Sperm Bank! Am I right, People?


That was my Dyckerson impersonation. *bow*

[!]

My younger brother graduated in May 2007 and became an auditor. He makes $18k more than I did out of school ($13k adjusted for inflation), and $7k more than I did in 2007 until I moved back East and got hooked up with Manhattan union wages.

Many jobs pay more than TV news. The question is, do you want to do them?

I couldn't stand working in a cube farm or even a run-of-the-mill office, even if I was paid better.

[The Mockingbird]

Well, I left TV news to do contract work for the Department of Defense, so, umm, not exactly a cube farm here. :eek:

[!]

Well, I left TV news to do contract work for the Department of Defense, so, umm, not exactly a cube farm here. :eek:Umm, the DoD? And you think TV management is bad?

[Roy Hobbs]

I did some consulting work in London.
http://www.cinemacomrapadura.com.br/filmes/imgs/PatriotGames_1992_2.jpg

[The Mockingbird]

Umm, the DoD? And you think TV management is bad?

Depends on which Agency you work for. :cool:

[TVMattNYC]

Umm, the DoD? And you think TV management is bad?

At least he gets evenings, weekends, and holidays off.

[The Mockingbird]

...and three day weekends every other week.

[east coast producer]

I've been trying for PIO gigs, but so far, no luck. :( I was whittled down to the top 40 out of more than 250 applicants for a PIO gig in California, but they scuttled my dreams the day after the phone interview. Bastards.

[Sigonfile]

I once considered a job working for a trucking company . They were looking for people to ride on top of 18 wheelers to check for bridge clearances. I felt like a scatter-brain for even looking into it.

[Paisan]

I worked in TV for 10 years, got out and now I'm in sales/marketing for the 3rd largest insurance company in the country. I don't miss TV a bit. I have a lot of respect for those in it, but I'm glad I'm out.

[The Mockingbird]

Sometimes my leaving the industry makes me feel like the only kid smart enough to get out of the pool because of the approaching thunderstorm.

Just remember, I tried to warn you that bad things are coming, so don't be shocked when they do.

Ha ha! Shocked! Free Pun Wednesday!!!!!!!

[wxcookie]

I have had 2 great jobs since I left the biz. Community Awareness Coordinator for a local nonprofit -- I gave speeches about the agency to rich people, now I am doing Corporate Communications for a small college. and here I just put together information about the college in hopes that the company will give us money, and sometimes I am expected to meet with the company execs to pick up money or donations.

I have doubled my salary in 2 years

[jrat33]

Public Information Officer for a gov't agency. I love my job especially after 8 years of getting paid chicken feed for working 60 hours a week. I'm making double what I was making in TV and the stress is alot less. Plus, I get to really help people on a daily basis, not the illusion of helping people by running stories about what disease could kill you! I'm also taking classes through FEMA for disaster preparedness and management. The goal is one day to work for Homeland Security and really make a difference.

In my current job, ambition and hard work opens up the door to new opportunities. In my old job, it just opened the door to more work and less pay.

[!]

At least he gets evenings, weekends, and holidays off.
So do I. And I'm not even repped by a union.

[TVMattNYC]

So do I. And I'm not even repped by a union.

Yes. But evenings, weekends, and holidays off in East Kabumphuck, Nowhere is not my idea of quality down time.

[The Mockingbird]

I think my highlight of how great the benefits for working in TV news were was the day I got my 2.5% "incentive" raise.

...on the year I got two Emmy nominations, and saw my show rise an entire point in the share.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Yes. But evenings, weekends, and holidays off in East Kabumphuck, Nowhere is not my idea of quality down time.

Yeah, 'cuz who the hell wants peace and quiet, fresh air, trees, and wide open spaces? Best to live in a pollution-filled, rat infested sh*t hole that's a target for terrorists and criminals.

[TVMattNYC]

Yeah, 'cuz who the hell wants peace and quiet, fresh air, trees, and wide open spaces? Best to live in a pollution-filled, rat infested sh*t hole that's a target for terrorists and criminals.

Pull out the banana and open your eyes, Clownie.

Manhattan is lush with fresh air, trees, and wide open spaces. You just need to find the right neighborhood.

[!]

Manhattan is lush with fresh air, trees, and wide open spaces.
Compared to what, an elevator?

[!]

Yes. But evenings, weekends, and holidays off in East Kabumphuck, Nowhere is not my idea of quality down time.
While I don't live in the town you mention, I have lived in New York, and wouldn't go back. Quality of life is too important to me.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Pull out the banana and open your eyes, Clownie.

Manhattan is lush with fresh air, trees, and wide open spaces. You just need to find the right neighborhood.

LOL, you are so clueless. I'm not talking about a few city blocks designated as a "park"...complete with muggers, bums, and pigeon sh*t.

And "trees" are not made of concrete.

[TVMattNYC]

LOL, you are so clueless. I'm not talking about a few city blocks designated as a "park"...complete with muggers, bums, and pigeon sh*t.

And "trees" are not made of concrete.

Steps from City Hall:

http://www.ivan-herman.net/Photos/USA-3/DSC01120.jpg

Bryant Park (42nd Street and Fifth Avenue):

http://www.gulker.com/blog/wp-content/2006/08/bryant_park_hotel.jpg

Downtown, in Battery Park:

http://www.z-mation.com/phpbb/files/ny_nelson_rockelfeller_park_battery_park_city_07_1 39.jpg

More Battery Park:

http://www.daagis.net/photogallery/040-%20Battery%20Park.jpg

[TVMattNYC]

LOL, you are so clueless. I'm not talking about a few city blocks designated as a "park"...complete with muggers, bums, and pigeon sh*t.

And "trees" are not made of concrete.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Prospect_Park_Long_Meadow_Panorama_from_Endale_Arc h.jpg/796px-Prospect_Park_Long_Meadow_Panorama_from_Endale_Arc h.jpg

More Prospect Park, Brooklyn:

http://www.bluejake.com/images04/misc/2004_10_prospectpark9.jpg

Prospect Park in the winter:

http://sitenews.streetnine.com/p/Prospect-Park-(500).jpg

This is right across the street from my building:

http://i.pbase.com/u46/lrmat/large/29819007.DSCN0433.jpg

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Looks like somebody's getting raped in that first picture.

[TVMattNYC]

Looks like somebody's getting raped in that first picture.

Don't worry, Clownie. I'll protect you from those big, bad rapists.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Here's the scene outside my window:

http://www.entertainment-corner.com/images/Hot-beach-babes.jpg

You lose...just like in real life.

[TVMattNYC]

Ugh. Yuck.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I'm guessing that ain't an option for you either. (Period.)

[Tom Crier]

There isn't a damn thing close to fresh air in New York City.

[Desert Rat]

Here's what counts Matt,

You are misreable in your job, and you won't give it up....

You are in a city that you love, but can't enjoy at all...

Doesn't make you very smart now, does it?

[Another side]

Bail-Bondsman. I reunite families for lots of money.

[pastoralia]

Oh Clownie-

That's not a window...that's your computer monitor where your "girlfriend" lives.

[!]

Steps from City Hall:



Bryant Park (42nd Street and Fifth Avenue):
Downtown, in Battery Park:


More Battery Park

You photos showlots of artificial "nature" surrounded by buildings and filled with people.

THIS is real nature:
http://www.rockymountaingateway.com/images/rocky_mountain_gateway.jpg

http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/gallery/sis23.jpg

[TVMattNYC]

Oh Clownie-

That's not a window...that's your computer monitor where your "girlfriend" lives.

HEY.

"Clownie" is MY special name for him. Back off, b!tch. ;)

[TVMattNYC]

Here's what counts Matt,

You are misreable in your job, and you won't give it up....

You are in a city that you love, but can't enjoy at all...

Doesn't make you very smart now, does it?

It's not about being "smart".

It's about being STUCK.

[!]

It's not about being "smart".

It's about being STUCK.You're stuck only because you refuse to change anything. That, and you're unwilling to take a risk to improve your situation.

[TVMattNYC]

You're stuck only because you refuse to change anything. That, and you're unwilling to take a risk to improve your situation.

Oh I'm not refusing to change. Quite the contrary, I'll change TODAY given the chance.

I'm not sure what you mean by "risk".

[Clever Login Name]

Happy National Pigeon Day, Matt!

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/its-national-pigeon-day/

[TVMattNYC]

Happy National Pigeon Day, Matt!

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/its-national-pigeon-day/

Why thank you!

How appropriate that the day falls on the day after a study is released that finds pigeons are smarter than toddlers!

[!]

Oh I'm not refusing to change. Quite the contrary, I'll change TODAY given the chance.

I'm not sure what you mean by "risk".
Then take a new job in a new city, if you'll change.

[TVMattNYC]

Then take a new job in a new city, if you'll change.

A new city is not an option, not is it necessary for change.

[!]

A new city is not an option, not is it necessary for change."Not an option"--see, you're unwilling to change.

[TVMattNYC]

"Not an option"--see, you're unwilling to change.

I'm also not willing to cut off my arm.

Does that mean I'm unwilling to "change"?

[ShakAttack]

I'm also not willing to cut off my arm.

Does that mean I'm unwilling to "change"?

Gawd! Is it so difficult for y'all to undertstand that TVMattNYC just wants a decent PR/Communications job with competitive pay -- beyond the realm of the television news business -- in New York City.

The only constant in his job search quest is the NYC location. I have come across several diehard "NYC people" in my life, including a few in my distant family. They just love that city life -- not just any other city, but New York City. They swear by the quality and culture of life that NYC offers and are more than content raising their families there.

TVMattNYC, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you find something suitable to professionally transition to within the perimeters of NYC. Good luck to you. :cheers:

[TVMattNYC]

Gawd! Is it so difficult for y'all to undertstand that TVMattNYC just wants a decent PR/Communications job with competitive pay -- beyond the realm of the television news business -- in New York City.

The only constant in his job search quest is the NYC location. I have come across several diehard "NYC people" in my life, including a few in my distant family. They just love that city life -- not just any other city, but New York City. They swear by the quality and culture of life that NYC offers and are more than content raising their families there.

TVMattNYC, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you find something suitable to professionally transition to within the perimeters of NYC. Good luck to you. :cheers:

Thanks. Appreciate it.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I'm also not willing to cut off my arm.

I'd be happy to cut your arm off for you...with a rusty butter knife.

[TVMattNYC]

I'd be happy to cut your arm off for you...with a rusty butter knife.

Now Clownie ... that's no way to start a relationship.

[Desert Rat]

Gawd! Is it so difficult for y'all to undertstand that TVMattNYC just wants a decent PR/Communications job with competitive pay -- beyond the realm of the television news business -- in New York City.

The only constant in his job search quest is the NYC location. I have come across several diehard "NYC people" in my life, including a few in my distant family. They just love that city life -- not just any other city, but New York City. They swear by the quality and culture of life that NYC offers and are more than content raising their families there.

TVMattNYC, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you find something suitable to professionally transition to within the perimeters of NYC. Good luck to you. :cheers:

Shak,

Thats not the problem....

The problem is that he *****es and moans about his life in TV....while staying in the profession that he *****es and moans about....which he also says is "killing" him...

Therefore he would rather be misreable than be happy, hence no sympathy.

He also lived in another city when he started his television career, making moot the point that he cannot function in a city other than NYC.

Full of contradictions, Matt is.

[Desert Rat]

It's about being STUCK.

You're stuck only because you refuse to expand your choices...

Once again, your fault.

[Camera 47]

I'd be happy to cut your arm off for you...with a rusty butter knife.

So THAT's what's in your avatar! Duh!

;)

[Another side]

Shak,

Thats not the problem....

The problem is that he *****es and moans about his life in TV....while staying in the profession that he *****es and moans about....which he also says is "killing" him...

Therefore he would rather be misreable than be happy, hence no sympathy.

He also lived in another city when he started his television career, making moot the point that he cannot function in a city other than NYC.

Full of contradictions, Matt is.

... who believe you're being a little harsh. I don't follow your math that says if someone *****es and moans about their worklife but doesn't change jobs then, ergo, they would rather be miserable than happy.

There are a lot of factors to consider before changing jobs, and your love of your present venue could certainly be one of them. I'm probably the cultural opposite of Matt in that I prefer small towns and wide open spaces -- and no, Matt, I don't mean government parks.

I would LOVE to visit New York (on someone else's dime) but I can't imagine living there. On the other hand, my favorite time was when we were living in a town of 2,200 people on a $28,000 salary (1980s) ... and I can't imagine Matt being happy with that, even if his salary was adjusted to fit today's (non-network) scale.

I don't know that he's said he "can't function in another city" but either way, he knows Matt best and if you believe you can't do something ... well, you probably can't.

And it's been my experience that *****ng and moaning about your job or career or industry is a disease of the the species ... the human species.

I feel sympathy for anyone who is "stuck" and based on what he says, Matt clearly is. I've been there too ... and it's real and it's unpleasaant and it's difficult. My circumstances finally changed to allow me to throw out some of the "considerations" I had to tangle with before finally leaving ... but venue was never one of them. For Matt it is, and I understand and respect that.