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Q. I started my reporting career a little more than a year ago at a small twice-weekly newspaper with a circulation of about 3,500. I've been fortunate in the fact that I get a lot of freedom in what I write, and

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I've had the chance to cover a wide variety of topics. I have amassed a lot of solid clips and a few great clips. I realize that if my ultimate goal is to get to a major daily (which it is), spending more time where I am is not going to help me out. I need to get to a small daily to get to a big daily.

So, how small is too small? I have started sending out my resume and clips and have had a couple of interviews so far. One paper in particular seems very interested, a six-day paper with circulation of about 6,000. I'm wondering, though, would I be better off to wait and keep pushing for something in the 20,000-circulation range? Or should I get my daily chops where I can?

Moving on Up

Cheryl Pell/MSU

A. I'd try for 20,000 but give 6,000 a serious look. It could be a tough stretch, crossing over from weeklies to dailies and growing your circulation by 500 percent.

Joe Grimm

As your goal is to get to a major daily, you're going to have to overcome a couple of huge bumps to get there. Doubling your circulation size every two years would take 12 years and half a dozen papers just to get to 100,000. And I doubt you want to do all that jumping.

Of course, you never know until you apply, but I'd be wary of passing up a good offer on the untested hope of getting a much better one. Still, because you started pretty small, you are going to have to make some big advances somewhere along the line.

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Coming Tuesday: She is eager to return to journalism and wonders whether the multimedia work she'd like to undertake at her non-profit will be appreciated by newsroom managers.

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