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I went into PR and set aside a vague, somewhat idealistic dream of journalism, because I thought I'd make more money, and we were young and broke.

Flacking has rarely sat well for me, except when it was for nonprofits. I'm exploring what it might look like to go into the field for real. I'm creeping up on 40 and know a lot of 'real' journalists socially: We bump into each other at our kids' soccer games and birthday parties.

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My background: B.A. in English, copy editor and reporter on the weekly paper at my college, but it is not exactly known as a breeding ground for journalists. (I did marry the editor in chief, and we have two kids now, but that's a bit longer lead than I was thinking.) Then I did some political campaigning, PR for a well-known nonprofit, and PR directing at a large medical center. Not being willing to do PR for pharmaceutical companies and big business, I'm not exactly earning a huge salary anyway.

I realize that my skills in writing, building relationships, detecting B.S., meeting deadlines in combination with still-insatiable curiosity might make me well-suited for journalism. And having "managed" a couple issues that arose in the media, I absolutely understand a thing or two about how the C-Suite works.

What would you advise: freelancing for bylines and applying for reporter jobs from there? J-school? Would you start someone like me at an entry-level salary? Should I go general news or features? How might this work?

Thanks! Your column and savvy advice for job hunters is wonderful, even for (gasp!) those not in journalism per se. Yet.

Take care,

Anonymous

Yours is a tough case.

As an editor, I wouldn't be crazy about starting you at the bottom of the scale, because it just seems wrong, given how much you have done. Yet people who have much less experience than you have more journalism experience.

Joe Grimm

Grad school could work, but the expense and time commitment could be huge -- especially as you're raising a family. But that is for you to noodle out.

I like the freelancing option. It may give you immediate satisfaction and help you determine whether you want to make the larger investment.

Pay attention to how much journalistic work it will take to satisfy you and be aware that journalism is changing, providing new opportunities for community and online journalism.