Q. I lost my reporting job at a big paper to layoffs earlier this year. I've 20 years experience, great multimedia skills, a graduate degree and a specialization nobody wants. Smaller papers, which say they are flooded with applicants, offer me salaries below $30,000, which I can't afford. Universities, also flooded with applicants, say they won't hire me without a doctorate.
I'm almost 50 and am leery of putting the time and money into more graduate school. Do we know what impact the downsizing of newsrooms will have on journalism schools and teaching opportunities? Any suggestions?
Desperately Seeking SusanA. Some universities will hire you without a doctorate, and they want adjunct professors with multimedia skills. Your experience and your multimedia skills are your advantages.
However, there are a lot of people coming out of newsrooms with similar plans. I worry that the time you would spend in grad school would deprive you of some earnings, pile on the debt and ultimately might not work.
Go back and query more schools. If you draw some interest, look closely at the total package. You may find that academia pays less than what you're used to, but makes up for it in better hours and benefits.
Coming Wednesday: This reporter is weighing the pluses and minuses of working for a wire service. She is partial to newspapers, but sees the value in both media.
Dear "Susan" - there are plenty of non- doctorate teaching...
