Getting back into Journalism after 6 years
Hi all,
From 2018-2020 I (f33) was a reporter for a newspaper for a small city. I have won awards from the WNPA for my work, but was unfortunately laid off in 2020 when COVID hit our industry hard.
After that I bounced around different fields and nothing felt right or like a place I wanted to stay. Currently I live and work in Seattle, I have a cushy desk job that pays great with good opportunity to move up and is very low-stress.
However, I miss being a journalist so much. I’ve been missing it and wanting to go back frequently over the past 6 years, but I never did because, due to some work drama at the newspaper I won’t bore you with, I was convinced I wasn’t actually a great reporter and I wouldn’t be able to make it far.
Long story short, I’ve decided screw that, I miss it and I’m great at it and I want to try again. But I’m kind of at a loss for how to do it. I’ve got some freelance stories I’m working on right now, no idea who might publish them but when they’re done I’m going to send them out, and see what other opportunities I can find.
The TLDR; has anyone else here left the journalism field and successfully returned? How did you do it? What advice would you give someone who wants to do the same? What opportunities/ jobs should I be focusing on?
Edit: number typo