Life After Journalism

Every couple of months, I get a call from an old friend or former colleague facing a newsroom buyout—or concerned that one is in the offing. Their request is always the same: "Tell me there's life after [insert newspaper name]."

My answer is always an emphatic "YES!"

Leaving the cozy confines of a newsroom and journalism career is traumatic. But change can be highly beneficial and even lucrative. Sure, you can look for another journalism job. But odds are that you won't find one that matches what you gave up. Instead, look at the talents you brought to journalism and think about how they can be used in other endeavors. You'll find a much broader array of options.

It turns out that a lot of the skills that make you a good journalist are highly valued in other fields. Indeed, they may be even more highly valued. Newsrooms tend to take good writers, reporters and editors for granted—they've got an excess of supply, in fact. But other businesses are crying for those same talents, and appreciative when they can find them. For instance:

* Writing, editing and storytelling: A dozen years ago, after I'd left journalism for a Silicon Valley company, a consultant came up to me and said, "I've been reading your memos. They're very well written. You've got a hidden talent there." I thanked her and pointed out that I'd spent nearly 20 years writing for The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and others. "Ohhh," she said. That's how rare and valuable writing talent can be in the business world. The ability to quickly write clear copy has applications in everything from writing business plans to creating PowerPoint presentations (nothing more than a good story outline) to even coming up with the architecure of Web sites (a form of visual storytelling). A friend who recently left newspapers for a (more lucrative) thinktank job says her new colleagues are amazed at how quickly and well she can write—much to her amazement.

* Reporting: When you do a story, you apply prodigious research and analysis skills that have great value in the non-journalism world. Your ability to dive deep for information and ask tough questions is a real asset. When I spent time on the corporate side of The Washington Post, the bosses liked to send ex-journalists in to do due diligence on possible corporate acquisitions. Turned out we were far more fearless about asking hard questions than any MBA. Or you can follow the changed career path of a friend of mine who became a high-end private investigator. Your curiosity, resourcefullness and analytical abilities can have many interesting uses outside journalism.

* Management and organization: If you've successfully run a copy desk or a daily or weekly section, you've probably got organizational skills you don't fully appreciate. Complicated businesses appreciate those skills, however. The same talents that make you a precise and exacting editor and manager probably will hold you in good stead as a corporate product or project manager, pulling together diverse tasks and people to bring a complicated project in on deadline. Oh yeah, deadlines: journalists live by them. That's often a novelty in the business world.

You get the idea. The skills that you use every day to commit journalism have uses you can barely imagine. If you're looking to leave a newsroom and start a new career, you don't have to worry about massive retraining. Just examine what you already know how to do and think about how you can apply it elsewhere.

Alternatively, you don't have to stray too far from journalism; just try a new, modern form. Writing, reporting and editing skills are very valuable in the world of the Web; it's no secret that newspaper Web sites are hiring even as their print counterparts are cutting back. Non-journalism Web sites also need these talents—which is obvious if you merely read some of them. You'd think copy editors would be able to write their own ticket on many sites!

Or you can try to go it alone: Start a blog. Pick a specific topic about which you have a great deal of knowledge and passion, and start blogging about it. Over time, you may be able to create a following that can lead to consulting or job offers. There are successful examples of it all over the blogosphere.

It used to be that if you left journalism, public relations or freelancing were pretty much your only options. But today there are many more possibilities, if you approach a career change with an open mind and confidence in your existing skills and abilities.

These are scary times in the newspaper business. But there is, indeed, life after journalism.

Comments

[John Robinson]

Stop giving my people ideas, Mark! :)

[Greg Smith]

Great. I'm not redundant after all. Nice article.

[rod]

wow, wish i found this website before i wrote my cover letters.

[sam]

as a reporter looking to get out of the failing newspaper business, i was blown away by your article. it was well-written and right-on. Thanks, you've helped me make up my mind and to believe that yes, there is life after journalism.

[Masa]

Your article was good. There seems to be more and more this kind of postings on the web. Must be a sign that something is seriously wrong with the industry.

I wanted to escape the newsroom. So I escaped.

Now I'm unemployed, but happier. I feel like I'm free to do other stuff. I'll just have to figure out, what it is.

There's a lot of possibilities out there, but unfortunately less opportunities, if you get what I mean.

I thought of applying for med school. I'm not really looking forward to studying six more years (I have one Masters already), being in my early thirties, but it's something else, and at least I'll have a somewhat secure job.

[Sebastian]

Can you tell us what a high-end private investigator does?

[Mark Potts]

High-end private investigators typically work for corporate or wealthy clients, doing things like employment background checks, due-diligence for potential deals, or other sensitive investigations. It's basically a glorified version of the classic private detective.

[Elizabeth]

As a student of media and communications, I decided within my first semester of my ugrad degree that I didn't want to be journalist. This was despite my love for writing and publishing. I've found that the skills I'm learning though, like you said, are applicable in so many different areas of my life and online media is proving to be such a refreshing avenue to explore!
It's good to know that there are other options out there these days, nothing but open road!

[jason brown]

...

Don't forget that journalists also need their voices represented on the other side of the fence.

Yes, I speak here of politics.

Whether as an advocate, lobbyist or a real, live politician, media skills are as little known in politics as they are in business.

You might not like the daily grind of journalism or churnalism any more, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on changing it.

...

[Account Deleted]

Great article. I left journalism for graduate studies years ago and now work in the PR/business world.

Certainly the writing and editing aspects of the job come easy, but the office politics make newsroom politics pale in comparison. In journalism, we’re driven by deadlines to deliver. We're people who are inquisitive by nature and by training. And, we're strong writers. I haven't found too much of this in the PR world. It's a whole other world so don't make the mistake of thinking we will be welcome with open arms to clean up their publications and websites.

Most websites and businesses are not run by journalists who appreciate good writing, good editing and good website design. In public relations, I’ve found a world where copyediting can set off temper tantrums from colleagues and “editors” butcher copy. It's a world where marketing professionals manage website content.

I learned long ago to set aside my journalistic principles so as not to risk my job by offending sensitive colleagues and managers who don’t appreciate the goldmine of talent they have in a journalist. I need the work and like the work. Surely there must be a company somewhere who appreciates what a journalist can bring to the table, but sometimes dogs and cats don’t mix.

I guess you could say that I am still working on finding my niche.

[RinnaMP]

I just stumbled across your post, thank you for sharing it. I'm a journalist for a small daily paper which has been hacked at the seams and is being held together with well placed safety pins and a dedicated, but tired, crew.

Being one of the few working every day to get that paper out - with limited resources - is finally wearing me down after only three years. I know it doesn't seem like that much time but the place is very different than when I started. We're on our third editor now and the staff has been cut by more than half. I understand many other papers are experiencing similar difficulties.

I realized quiet recently, that although I still love writing, the job itself has lost the fun and spark and I'm frankly worn out by the daily deadline. I didn't think it would ever happen but it did. I'm now trying to find my niche and realize that my skill set opens many more possibilities, so its more a matter of what I want to do and what I can find, or create, within my own small community.

So thank you again for the reminder and helping many of us to see the forest through the trees...and excuse my long winded comment!