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then versus now versus now and again

Friday, I got a call from RV, my old colleage at the Alt. Company. We still talk all the time, go to lunch, bitch about the journalism field and, more often than not, reminisce about the glory days of working together. He really was my favorite editor ever - he assigend and edited the first story I ever won an award for. (OK, I've only won 2 but they were decent ones and two is better than none so what the hey)

Anyway, he's working at the Alt. Company again (has been for awhile) and they just fired 2 editors - including the top one.

So, are you going to try to get that job, I asked him

No, he said, but you should

I don't really know if I'm qualified, I said

Yes you are - as much as anyone else, he said, besides, I'd be there to help you

He said that M, the top, top, top editor was also interested. And, when JVK, the publisher got wind of the idea, he was interested too.

I still remember what he told me on my last day of the job before coming here to work for The Man.

Go and learn a bunch of stuff and then come back to us.

RV and I talked about it again late Friday and he said M was really really interested in me for the 2nd top position - that they had some Stanford / Salon magazine guy they were thinking about for the top editor job. I can't really argue or compete with that but I think it comes down to this: Can they pay me enough - I dont mean that in a snobby way, but I'd lke to at least have them match my current salary. And, can you - or should you - return to an old job? I've done that once before and it was a weird, not entirely successful venture.

Anyway, today, someone else (who, obvs, doesnt know about these conversations with RV, told me she saw a job listing for the Alt. Company jobs

I emailed RV to ask if that meant they weren't actually interested in me.

His reply:
>>
Absolutely not. They are very excited about you. They have to post
the job to justify the HR person's existence.

<<

So, now I'm back to weighing the pros and cons


    Pros
  • MY OWN OFFICE!!!!!

  • More creative control / flexibility

  • Working with RV again

  • More room to write

  • Being an editor again AND still getting to write

  • No more required Saturday / holiday shifts

  • Fewer profit-driven mandates

  • Fewer industry-created, money-related freakouts

  • Long history with company (dating back to college

  • MY OWN OFFICE!!!!


    Pontial cons
  • Less pay

  • Even if they match salary, raises may be few and very far between

  • Heavy turnover

  • Extreme burnout

  • Facing the same ax as the last person

  • Long, long, long hours

  • Less readership

  • Being an editor AND having to still write

  • Working with artsier-than-thou writers such as JF

  • Potentially upsetting B, who quit them last year

  • Having expecatations, left over from my last stint there, not realized

Likewise, here are some pros and cons of staying wedded to The Man

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