Sometimes I ask myself, “Why do I want to write for a newspaper for a living?” or “Why is being a newspaper reporter the best thing I’m good at job-wise?” Friends and family members have always told me that there’s no money in my profession, and that newspapers are slowly dying off because of the internet and poor economy. It also doesn’t help to go online and see articles about newspapers laying off writers or going out of business completely. Adding to the blow, I recently happened to stumble across a website titled “Newspaperdeathwatch.com,” which includes an updated list of newspapers that have gone out of business or are in the process of it. I have been told several times by family members that I need to go back to school and get a master’s degree in something more “valuable.”
So, after all the negative feedback, why do I keep writing for a newspaper? Why is it still the only thing I want to do for a living?
Strangely enough, I was never really interested in writing as a child or teenager. Back then I never wrote my own stories, or wrote for my school’s newspapers or yearbooks. I was one of those “drama geek” kids who acted in different plays and musicals put on by my school or community.
As a teen, I was dead set on becoming an actor. My first two years of college, I was still a theater arts major who didn’t seem to understand that 95 percent of all actors, degree or no degree, were poor and waiting tables or doing other regular jobs. Somehow I thought I could get lucky enough to become a full-time working actor, or, if I was really lucky, the next Tom Cruise.
Fortunately, the summer before my junior year of college was when I found my true passion and a path to a more secure and stable career.
Just for fun, I started writing music album reviews for a friend’s online entertainment website, which included album and movie reviews. He worked at a local CD store (remember those?) and would give me promotional CDs to review. Every time I looked back on one of my reviews posted on his website, I was always surprised at how my writing looked like something professional enough to come out of Rolling Stone magazine. I even got many compliments from friends and family members. The fact that my writing could be seen by millions of people Google-searching for album reviews was such a thrill for me, and because of that I became a journalism major going into my junior year. I wanted as many people as possible to read my writing, either online or for print, within the community.
The thrill of having many people read my writing wasn’t my only reason for wanting to be a newspaper reporter for life. I also loved meeting and interviewing plenty of interesting, important community members or presenters from out of town, and being able to record and publish what they had to say straight from their own mouths.
As a member of the press, I love being able to attend events for free, and meet and interview the people in charge. I always loved the thought that I could meet and interview a once-well-known person, or even a current celebrity, simply because I was a prestigious member of the press. I also loved the thought that I could travel to and stay in different cities, with all expenses paid for, to cover important, newsworthy events happening out of town. I always felt so important and like I had so much power as a newspaper reporter. In a way, I even felt like a celebrity myself.
After I was laid off a little more than four years ago, when the economy was in a worse slump, I struggled terribly to get another job that utilized my writing talents before landing at the Sun. While I was working unrelated dead-end jobs in those four years, I never gave up on thinking that one day I would get another newspaper reporter job if I wanted one badly enough. I missed writing too much and realized it was the primary thing I was born to do for a living. Of course, I was also sick of having to work horrible jobs out of desperation in a bad economy.
So yeah, even though I receive more than my fair share of negative feedback on why I should go back to school for a different field and profession, the benefits of being a newspaper reporter still outweigh the negatives for me.
I couldn’t see myself doing anything else that I would enjoy as much for a living. I hope that I can continue on in the field until I’m good and ready to retire.
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