Greetings, blogosphere.
I have a secret.
Although there are surely a million former journalists out there happily writing blogs, I am one former journalist who would much rather be back at my former full-time job.
I’m starting this blog because a) I don’t have a job right now and need something to keep my mind engaged; and b) I truly hope that others in a similar position to mine – women in the midst of career/life transitions, foreign service and military spouses whose careers have taken unexpected turns, and anyone else who juggles their current and former lives – will find a home here to share and learn from our experiences.
So what’s your deal?
I’ll try to make a long story short: I got an MA in Journalism in Public Affairs from American University (I specialized in Radio and Television News, which sounds very quaint and old-fashioned these days…) and worked for seven years at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. I spent four years as a production assistant and then three years as a reporter covering foreign affairs. I can honestly say I loved my job, I loved going to work, and would never have quit my job but in 2005 my husband had an opportunity to move to Vienna, Austria for his job – and so we went.
Living in Austria was one of the richest experiences of my life and worth all the trouble and effort in every regard except one – I never realized how difficult it would be to get back into a full-time job after my time off. We lived in Austria from 2005-2008, and my son (my second child) was born shortly after we returned to the U.S. so I didn’t really start job hunting again until mid-2009.
So why don’t you just go back to work?
It’s not that easy. Actually, it’s been very frustrating. Although I did some freelance and contract work while in Austria, I haven’t worked full-time since June of 2005, and in current job climate, opportunities have not been abundant (or even available!)
I’ve been applying for jobs since late spring, and am fortunate to have had a number of interviews, but nothing has panned out. I’ve considered looking into jobs in other fields, like communications and PR, but my heart and soul is still seeking the vigor of a newsroom.
So what are you doing in the meantime?
So now my days are filled with watching my 13-month-old son, waiting at the bus stop for my 5-year-old daughter, updating my resume, writing cover letters, attempting to network with former colleagues and make new contacts in the industry, grocery shopping, and now blogging….
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