When I was in college and graduate school, I envisioned spending my life as a newspaper reporter. But my plan changed almost immediately after I entered the workforce.
My pivot stemmed partly from personal preferences. Working at a regional, daily newspaper meant long hours and working nights, weekends, and holidays. It meant covering a beat I wasn’t passionate about and getting stressed out in the process. I also saw the writing on the wall. It’s common knowledge that newspaper circulation is declining, ad revenue is drying up, and reporters are facing layoffs.
Almost as soon as I started my career in newspapers in 2007, I wondered if it was sustainable in the long term. I quit the business two years later to focus on freelancing and teaching.
Sure, I miss swapping stories with colleagues, the buzz of the newsroom when a big story breaks, and landing a front-page spread. And it’s certainly possible I could end up back in the newsroom one day if my work goals shift, my personal circumstances change, or the ideal opportunity presents itself.
Either way, I don’t ever see myself leaving newspapers completely. Though most of my work now is online, I still get a thrill when I write for a newspaper. My ebook is a collection of my freelance articles for the Philadelphia Inquirer. And one of my major goals is to get a New York Times byline.
For now though, I’d rather it be as a freelancer.
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