Is PR a fallback for j-school grads?

A recent article by a current journalism major seems to suggest so. But does one ever get all the ink out of his or her veins?

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After detailing his oft-doubted decision to major in journalism, Brian Weidy closes a recent article on PolicyMic with the following:

Thinking about my own career trajectory, I started as a journalist, worked my way into some major newsrooms, and then took a sharp left turn a few years ago, shifting to social media marketing.

The reasons weren’t because I felt I had failed as a journalist or didn’t think I could “make it.” It was much more a quality-of-life issue. During my three years at the Chicago Sun-Times, I was constantly living under the fear that I would be laid off. My salary during my tenure was reduced from barely living wage to not even close to living wage.

I left for ESPN (and then FoxSports), and it took roughly 18 months for it to dawn on me that sports generally happen on nights and weekends. So if I wanted to enjoy my nights and weekends (and in my late 20s, I really did), I would have to switch careers.

I knew, however, that the ability to edit, write, and aggregate compelling content would serve me no matter what profession would take me in.

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