An Interesting Experience, Difficult Working Conditions
Pros
A well-paying job in journalism. Early on, there was a lot of excitement related to working for a start-up. I was able to work on a number of stories that I'm very proud of--this job was an excellent portfolio builder. And I was able to learn a variety of skills that translate outside of journalism. I've heard it described as journalism boot camp, which was true.
Cons
Well, everybody's laid off, so I guess that's the biggest con. Honestly, the pay and the reporting kept me in the job. But it was the worst work-life balance I hope to ever encounter. Last-minute fire drills from upper management. Regional editors calling you on your vacation about work. Difficulty taking vacation in the first place. Working late at night, on weekends, on holidays. In fact, I went months at a time without getting so much as a Saturday off. And you received very little support or guidance in terms of your workload. Performance was based, nearly entirely, on hitting traffic goals, yet we were given no real instruction or means to make that happen. The company also had no outward promotion or marketing in many of our communities. So LEs functioned as marketers, in addition to journalists.
