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I appreciate all of the feedback. I'm a bit confused that everyone is surprised by the $60-70k salary. Are most of you basing those numbers on areas like NYC, LA and DC? I've lived in all three cities and that salary is pretty entry level in those areas. I'm not trying to be combative, just basing everything on my salary history to this point. Perhaps I am better off staying in my current field.
NYC area.
I'm in Civil Engineering. You CAN get that salary range entry level in my field if you get lucky and get in with one of the larger, better paying companies in a higher paying niche. But typically you need a masters degree to get those jobs and you still have to be lucky. And that is engineering. So you would assume most other fields pay somewhat less to start.
In NYC, you can definitely get that range entry level and higher in finance and computers and consulting, but that would mean you'd have to go back to school and even after that, the odds of them hiring a mid 40s person for a high paying job track like that are slim to ... slim.
If you started at 65K in journalism, well then that was a great thing. Because I know former journalists and they painted a different picture.
My friend got her journalism degree, some awesome internships and ended up filing medical files at the University Hospital just like she was post high school/pre college. Not for lack of trying. She ended up disabled due to young onset crippling arthritis.
If you started at 65K in journalism, well then that was a great thing. Because I know former journalists and they painted a way different picture.
Not starting at $65k. I work in digital media and my last position was well above that range. Starting out in journalism for, say, a newspaper is going to be $25-35k. Digital media consists of a journalism background, along with a certain degree of tech experience.
I was referring to other fields such as communications. For example, I've known people in the publishing field who have moved over to communications and started at $70k.
CT, I do not know the pay but have you checked out patch.com? It seems to be unheard of in some areas well known in others. Oh, another journalism friend got laid off and ended up teaching English at one of those technical career colleges. She's always looking to get back in the field, too!
Not starting at $65k. I work in digital media and my last position was well above that range. Starting out in journalism for, say, a newspaper is going to be $25-35k. Digital media consists of a journalism background, along with a certain degree of tech experience.
I was referring to other fields such as communications. For example, I've known people in the publishing field who have moved over to communications and started at $70k.
Lateral moves are tricky.
Employers pay you for experience because you have done something so often that you can produce work in an amount of time that makes money for the company. If you can make 20 hamburgers in an hour, they'll pay you for that. If they need to train you to make 2 hamburgers an hour, you'll get entry level pay.
If you move from publishing to communications, how much of your experience is immediately relevant? 10%, 20%, 30%? I don't know. I can tell you that if I switched from one field of Civil Engineering to another, it'd be less than 10%, and a kid out of college who'd only been doing it a year would know more.
We hired someone last year at a managerial level and his background was different than what is mostly done here. They canned him eventually because he was in over his head.
I do understand this probably varies field to field depending on skills. For example, in sales if you can sell a toaster, you can sell a car. Etc.
I appreciate all of the feedback. I'm a bit confused that everyone is surprised by the $60-70k salary. Are most of you basing those numbers on areas like NYC, LA and DC? I've lived in all three cities and that salary is pretty entry level in those areas. I'm not trying to be combative, just basing everything on my salary history to this point. Perhaps I am better off staying in my current field.
LA and San Diego for me. 60-70k entry level for extremely lucky masters degreed engineers, much lower for communications or tech writers. Your experience will mean very little with a career change. You will be competing with fresh college graduates and people with 1-2 years on the job already, your ability to negotiate higher pay based on experience will be gone.
I have a background in journalism and have really been struggling to find any work. I have some great names on my resume, but it's ultimately not leading to anything. I'm resigned to the fact that there are very few opportunities and almost no stability left in this industry, so I know I need to find a new field of work before I get too old to do anything.
My question is, what are some things a 40-year-old do with a background in writing, editing, and digital media can do? I'm very open to jumping over to something completely different, so it doesn't have to be in the writing/editing vein. My main criteria is that it's somewhat creative/interesting, doesn't keep be chained to a desk, and offers a salary of $60-70k.
Look into doing communications and/or social media for large corporations. Don't forget financial corps. Be open to relocating.
If you started at 65K in journalism, well then that was a great thing. Because I know former journalists and they painted a different picture.
Agreed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CT356
Not starting at $65k. I work in digital media and my last position was well above that range. Starting out in journalism for, say, a newspaper is going to be $25-35k. Digital media consists of a journalism background, along with a certain degree of tech experience.
I was referring to other fields such as communications. For example, I've known people in the publishing field who have moved over to communications and started at $70k.
I know people who have worked 15 years in "communications" and STILL don't make that much.
I know people who have worked 15 years in "communications" and STILL don't make that much.
15 years in communications in NYC would easily bring in that salary. In fact, I know someone who works in communications for a non-profit in NYC and they are making $80k.
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