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For the third year in a row, CareerCast, a jobs website, has ranked the job of a newspaper reporter as the "worst" profession out of 200 careers included in their survey. Variables that were taken into account included environment, income, job outlook and stress associated with each job.
The survey stated that with a decline in print publications, fewer jobs are available and declining ad revenue means unfavorable pay. The survey put the annual median salary of a print reporter at $37,200.
The "best job" was listed as a scientist, with a median salary of $128,240. Other mathematically dominated professions fared well too, also ranking highly as "good jobs."
I stopped and asked myself immediately after reading the results what exactly a "good job" means to me.
A good job, to me, is enjoyable.
A good job, to me, doesn't always feel like a job because it's fun.
A good job, to me, is a job that I can proudly talk about to others.
A good job, to me, is a job that provides the ability for continuous learning experiences.
A good job, to me, includes interacting with others and working together as a team.
A good job, to me, is this job.
Sure, being a newspaper reporter comes with uncertainty at times. Sure, you won't become a millionaire. But I'd like to think there is more to life than just money, and the things I've experienced, people I've encountered and the stories I have heard more than make up for the paycheck, the long hours and the weekly stress of facing a deadline.
This job has built me into a better person. This job has given me the ability to be curious, to be adventurous and to learn more about the world around me. This job has given me the ability to help people, to inform people and connect with others who share similar ideas about "a good job."
Not all college graduates searching for their first job out of school are as lucky as I was to find "a good job" in their hometown, to be accepted into communities all over the county and to be welcomed into the Chronicle family with open arms.
Not all people are as lucky as I am to have strong relationships with community leaders, to shop at the grocery store and run into three people you know or to regularly receive compliments on a job well done.
As you may have gathered, I strongly disagree that a newspaper reporter is the "worst job." To me, it's one of the best jobs I've ever had.