I graduated from school last December and took a job in a small town in mid-February. I knew coming out of school that I would likely end up in a small town for my first job, and I had no problem with that.
When I came up to do my job interview, I looked at a copy of the paper and thought that the editing was not that great -- several obvious editing errors -- but I gave the paper the benefit of the doubt that they just let a story go with a couple mistakes. The editor who hired me convinced me that he could teach me a lot and I believed him.
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A month and a half after I moved here, he left, the paper's general manager left, and a few weeks later the only reporter on the staff I thought could help me learn left.
I feel like the editors at this paper are not good enough to help me grow the way I think I should in my first job. It feels like I could turn anything in and it would run with practically no changes. Either I'm that good or the editors are not up to the task of forcing me to grow as a reporter and a writer.
Is it wrong for me to want to find another place to work where the editors will challenge me more? I know the unspoken rule is to stay in your first job -- or any job -- for at least a year, but I don't want to waste a lot of time in a place that will make it hard for me to take the next step.
Thanks for your help.
Happy Feet
Well, it sounds as though you saw this one coming, so I wouldn't talk myself into believing that the newspaper did any kind of bait and switch.
But, yes, good editors are vital in a first job.
You can have a short stint on your resume, provided you follow it up with one of decent length. Two or three in a row spell trouble.
People who want to leave after short stays have to be sure they aren't under an agreement that says they will reimburse moving expenses if they leave in less than a year or two.
Coming Thursday: After losing her job at the end of a review period, she is at the make-or-break point.
