Can a 'Country Mouse" ever really move back to the City...and get a "real job"?
Been an eye opening day for me and I am not sure how to deal with it...so here I am, speaking to my anonymous group pf friends that I have cultivated for the past few years...
See, all this time I have identified myself as a Journalist - with big ideas and thoughts about ethics, integrity and the recent shield laws vs. whistle-blowers. That much is true, I am really invested personally in journalistic integrity and the whole idea of breaking big stories and speaking truth to power.
But the reality is that I have been living in a small town for the past 20 years and I grew up here as a college student and the largest publication I ever worked for maybe had 15-20K circulation at its peak...
Sure, I covered City Council issues and labor disputes, current events, etc...but I covered features a lot more.
I've been blogging and posting so much over the past few years maybe I have become too conversational in my tone. I recall my Mg Ed when I was in my late 20s giving me a lecture for hugging a distraught wife of a drowning victim as she relayed info to me about the obituary... "that was unprofessional" he said. I told him if "professional" meant giving up being HUMAN -I'd gladly be UN professional. My tone in writing has always been more conversational than literary, so there's that.
So I am finally finishing my BA in JRN/COM and feeling really good because I have experience the younger people in my classes do not. I am excelling in my grades, discussions, etc. I have done the salary research and figured I was limiting myself to thinking I would only be worth a 30K/year job with the local rag, and raised my hopes to a senior reporter position, and maybe even moving off this mountain and re-entering the mainstream...
I send my resume and cover letter to a colleague who is my senior by about 20 years. He was the old grizzled reporter who sat next to me in the newsroom as a rookie, and has remained a friend and mentor over the years... He tells me my letter is "too girly" and unprofessional. Thank god he cleaned it up, but no I am doubting ALL my writing, wondering if I can even think of competing in the big nasty wold out there. Maybe it is a good thing to stay in the little fishpond, even if the pay sucks 
= new reply since forum marked as read
ex:…If you really know what Henry Kissinger was all about, than if you ever have to
write on that time period, those places or that person.. even under today's circumstances..it gives you a chance to
paint a more complete picture with just the correct amount of words…
That is what age and experience have going for you.
Tikki 
if you move to a large market, to a not so friendly, competitive fish pond.
And you hugged somebody. I sent the whole collection of photos from a vigil to the family, So we are not human I guess.
You might want to try for a market like San Diego. It is still friendly, but...
That said, the pay sucks regardless.
Oh and if you move to a larger fish pond... get a GPS.
from LA, and they were acting like we are from LA, move over.
They were shocked I tell you, that we all stuck together.
Sonoma, the wine blog looks like a good possible market, but a lot of those are freelance. That said, it could be fun. (And do get a GPS, will save your life)
Oh and forgot, those actually like a more conversational tone.
I will add them to my list of prospects 
