A career change? In *this* economy??
September 18, 2024 4:55 AM Subscribe
Hello hivemind, I'm trying to navigate a multi-part career change (journalism --> ??? --> tech), but I'm facing strong headwinds and need to make a lot of tacks to get there. I could really use some advice.
Ok, this post is going to be pretty snowflake-y, so bear with me if you'd like.
Up until last year, when I was laid off, I was a journalist for about 15 years. I was burnt out beyond belief and actively searching for a way out of the industry by the time I got to this place.
Fortunately, I rediscovered my love for coding and computational science, and started taking courses at my local community college. It's been going better than I expected, to the extent that my long-term goal now is to earn an MS in computer science. I don't care how long it takes me.
However, in the short term, I really need a "real" job to support myself while I hammer through prerequisites/actually build up my technical skill set; it would be great to find a steady job with predictable hours to stay with once I'm enrolled in an MS program.
Anyway, I've been floundering around for months trying to find steady work. I don't want to go to another newsroom, but I apply to those (rapidly vanishing) jobs anyway, because no one else calls me back, and I've been a finalist a handful of times. I also apply to communications and similar positions, because that's allegedly a good area for recovering journos. Despite multiple resume/cover letter glow-ups from professionals and AI tools alike, not to mention networking like a crazy person, I'm having absolutely zero luck. And judging from all the auto-rejections I get, I'm definitely not competitive enough for tech/tech adjacent jobs I'm interested in.
Right now, I'm barely staying afloat by taking odd jobs and crappy short-term gigs (I hate freelancing), and I'm getting really sick of living in limbo. Between taking classes and hustling to pay my bills every month, I don't have the luxury of spending hours and hours on a personal project. I'm told that work projects matter more in a portfolio, anyway.
I know this is, ultimately, a very silly chicken-or-egg problem, it's just that I don't know how to break out of this loop. This whole ordeal is also making me very angry at myself for all of my past life/career decisions, not doing enough X or Y during this forced career "sabbatical," etc, but I simply don't know what else to do. A lot of career change advice I've found isn't helping, either. I'm beginning to think that the concept of "transferable skills" is a myth. Alternatively, I may simply be too stupid or naive to pull any of this off.
If you've read this far: thank you. I'd appreciate any tangible advice at this point, because I feel like I'm drowning.
Ok, this post is going to be pretty snowflake-y, so bear with me if you'd like.
Up until last year, when I was laid off, I was a journalist for about 15 years. I was burnt out beyond belief and actively searching for a way out of the industry by the time I got to this place.
Fortunately, I rediscovered my love for coding and computational science, and started taking courses at my local community college. It's been going better than I expected, to the extent that my long-term goal now is to earn an MS in computer science. I don't care how long it takes me.
However, in the short term, I really need a "real" job to support myself while I hammer through prerequisites/actually build up my technical skill set; it would be great to find a steady job with predictable hours to stay with once I'm enrolled in an MS program.
Anyway, I've been floundering around for months trying to find steady work. I don't want to go to another newsroom, but I apply to those (rapidly vanishing) jobs anyway, because no one else calls me back, and I've been a finalist a handful of times. I also apply to communications and similar positions, because that's allegedly a good area for recovering journos. Despite multiple resume/cover letter glow-ups from professionals and AI tools alike, not to mention networking like a crazy person, I'm having absolutely zero luck. And judging from all the auto-rejections I get, I'm definitely not competitive enough for tech/tech adjacent jobs I'm interested in.
Right now, I'm barely staying afloat by taking odd jobs and crappy short-term gigs (I hate freelancing), and I'm getting really sick of living in limbo. Between taking classes and hustling to pay my bills every month, I don't have the luxury of spending hours and hours on a personal project. I'm told that work projects matter more in a portfolio, anyway.
I know this is, ultimately, a very silly chicken-or-egg problem, it's just that I don't know how to break out of this loop. This whole ordeal is also making me very angry at myself for all of my past life/career decisions, not doing enough X or Y during this forced career "sabbatical," etc, but I simply don't know what else to do. A lot of career change advice I've found isn't helping, either. I'm beginning to think that the concept of "transferable skills" is a myth. Alternatively, I may simply be too stupid or naive to pull any of this off.
If you've read this far: thank you. I'd appreciate any tangible advice at this point, because I feel like I'm drowning.
I don't know what the market is like, but you might be perfect for technical writing gigs. They're likely freelance, but they're another straw to grasp at. Good luck!
posted by hydra77 at 6:16 AM on September 18 [3 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 6:16 AM on September 18 [3 favorites]
I am also a former journalist, although I left the field several years before you.
I also went to school after I left newspapers. During my transition, I got a job at my educational institution. They often have student jobs, tech or otherwise. In my case, that turned into a full-time staff position.
Here are a few other ideas:
* Temporarily work for a political campaign, if you're in the USA. Besides local campaigns, you could apply at the Harris campaign, Arena jobs board or Gain Power jobs board.
* Networking with former sources.
* Media analysts report on how an entity is covered in paid or social media.
* Teaching English, including online.
* Substitute teaching is often in demand in the USA.
* Technical writing would seem like a good idea. But you should know that market is tough right now.
* Do you have some background in a specific field that you covered? Maybe you could get a job in that.
* At least in my area, government jobs have a high vacancy rate. They often don't require specific expertise.
Good luck!
posted by NotLost at 6:21 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
I also went to school after I left newspapers. During my transition, I got a job at my educational institution. They often have student jobs, tech or otherwise. In my case, that turned into a full-time staff position.
Here are a few other ideas:
* Temporarily work for a political campaign, if you're in the USA. Besides local campaigns, you could apply at the Harris campaign, Arena jobs board or Gain Power jobs board.
* Networking with former sources.
* Media analysts report on how an entity is covered in paid or social media.
* Teaching English, including online.
* Substitute teaching is often in demand in the USA.
* Technical writing would seem like a good idea. But you should know that market is tough right now.
* Do you have some background in a specific field that you covered? Maybe you could get a job in that.
* At least in my area, government jobs have a high vacancy rate. They often don't require specific expertise.
Good luck!
posted by NotLost at 6:21 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
Another thing that is often recommended on MeFi is going through a temp agency.
posted by NotLost at 6:22 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
posted by NotLost at 6:22 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
I don't know if this is real enough, but at transition points I and some of my friends have had very good luck signing up with temp agencies.
Sometimes it'll be boring data entry, sometimes not. Once I got placed with a late-stage B2B tech startup hacking away at their customer support queue. That was interesting work and I got along with the team; after a couple of months they inquired if I'd be interested to move to a fulltime position. The company has to pay a fee to the agency to buy out your contract, but it's probably less than they'd pay a recruiter and they get a proven candidate.
So: depending on where you're located and of course the job market, a temp agency may at minimum offer some money for expenses, may also offer some learning experience and opportunities to network and expand skills, and occasionally may lead to job offers.
on preview, NotLost, *jinx*!
posted by hovey at 6:24 AM on September 18 [3 favorites]
Sometimes it'll be boring data entry, sometimes not. Once I got placed with a late-stage B2B tech startup hacking away at their customer support queue. That was interesting work and I got along with the team; after a couple of months they inquired if I'd be interested to move to a fulltime position. The company has to pay a fee to the agency to buy out your contract, but it's probably less than they'd pay a recruiter and they get a proven candidate.
So: depending on where you're located and of course the job market, a temp agency may at minimum offer some money for expenses, may also offer some learning experience and opportunities to network and expand skills, and occasionally may lead to job offers.
on preview, NotLost, *jinx*!
posted by hovey at 6:24 AM on September 18 [3 favorites]
Do you have (or can you develop) any hobbies or volunteering roles that you can use for leverage into comms? My first comms job after escaping the newsroom was with an organisation working in a space where I was already active as a hobby, and which I’d written multiple news stories on. (Though I’ll admit that was 12 years ago when there weren’t as many ex-journos competing for comms jobs).
posted by penguin pie at 6:25 AM on September 18
posted by penguin pie at 6:25 AM on September 18
Ghostwriting. You might be able to do this freelancing. You could write speeches and op-eds.
posted by NotLost at 6:31 AM on September 18
posted by NotLost at 6:31 AM on September 18
You're not a snowflake. I made the same transition. Many of the skills you've learned as a journalist will help you as you move into a new career.
But it will be hard. Generally speaking, full-time work will only make it harder and longer. I got my MS in CS while working full-time, and while my wife and I raised four children. It ended up taking about six years. And then it took me five years before I got what I consider my first "real" job as software engineer.
I don't know what you have in the way of personal "infrastructure" (e.g. family, house, or other obligations). If you can go back to student minimalism/frugality, then bite the bullet, enroll in a MS program as fast as possible. Find one where you can work as a TA or RA, ideally with some kind of health insurance via the university. You will make peanuts, but that's not the point. The point is to get through this as fast as possible.
You've already made the right choice by starting at the community college, because they're an excellent value. I hope you've reached out to master's programs to understand what kind of prerequisites you need.
Don't despair. You can do this.
posted by heymarcel at 6:56 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
But it will be hard. Generally speaking, full-time work will only make it harder and longer. I got my MS in CS while working full-time, and while my wife and I raised four children. It ended up taking about six years. And then it took me five years before I got what I consider my first "real" job as software engineer.
I don't know what you have in the way of personal "infrastructure" (e.g. family, house, or other obligations). If you can go back to student minimalism/frugality, then bite the bullet, enroll in a MS program as fast as possible. Find one where you can work as a TA or RA, ideally with some kind of health insurance via the university. You will make peanuts, but that's not the point. The point is to get through this as fast as possible.
You've already made the right choice by starting at the community college, because they're an excellent value. I hope you've reached out to master's programs to understand what kind of prerequisites you need.
Don't despair. You can do this.
posted by heymarcel at 6:56 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Career changes need someone at the new org to "buy into" your abilities. Sometimes a job search can be improved by applying for less - and saving your energy for roles where you think you could fit them, you could gain experience, but also you could bring extra they didn't even know they needed. Data + storytelling is a great example.
So be really realistic about these jobs - it sounds like you're applying to things you don't even really want...and somehow that tells.
But also - be creative! If you want a programming role, but you have comms experience - how about a role that parlays what a technical team says vs what the comms team needs - then you can gain experience about translating requirements into technical speak...another feather in your cap.
posted by london explorer girl at 7:16 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
So be really realistic about these jobs - it sounds like you're applying to things you don't even really want...and somehow that tells.
But also - be creative! If you want a programming role, but you have comms experience - how about a role that parlays what a technical team says vs what the comms team needs - then you can gain experience about translating requirements into technical speak...another feather in your cap.
posted by london explorer girl at 7:16 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Research coordinator at an academic medical center that also has an MS computer science program. It may require two years of work before tuition reimbursement kicks in, but there's a shortage of research coordinators and if you have people skills and are generally older than an undergrad, you may be a good match for health services research, behavioral health research, public health research (basically, not lab research and not necessarily drug and device trials - but you could go in that direction, too, if you wanted.)
Journalists are familiar with codes of ethics, something that's important in health research. If you are a grown up and can respond to calls/emails quickly, you can be trained for everything else.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:20 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
Journalists are familiar with codes of ethics, something that's important in health research. If you are a grown up and can respond to calls/emails quickly, you can be trained for everything else.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:20 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
Have you considered trying to get your foot in the door as a business analyst?
The role involves talking to business stakeholders to understand their needs, and then translating those into something that a technical team can implement. Someone with a background in journalism would have the perfect skillset for "talking to business stakeholders", and someone with a knack for coding would have the perfect skillset for "understanding what a technical team cold usefully build."
Then, as you continue taking classes and develop internal relationships at the job, you could move into a more technical role when a suitable one opens up.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:21 AM on September 18 [4 favorites]
The role involves talking to business stakeholders to understand their needs, and then translating those into something that a technical team can implement. Someone with a background in journalism would have the perfect skillset for "talking to business stakeholders", and someone with a knack for coding would have the perfect skillset for "understanding what a technical team cold usefully build."
Then, as you continue taking classes and develop internal relationships at the job, you could move into a more technical role when a suitable one opens up.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:21 AM on September 18 [4 favorites]
I'm at a large public university, and looking into any full time jobs within the system that can pay for part if not all of the MS would be a path I'd seriously consider. For many of our administrative jobs, especially grant funded ones, we'll consider people with a varied life experience knowing they aren't likely to stay forever.
posted by advicepig at 8:23 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
posted by advicepig at 8:23 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]
Nothing to add concretely but the tech market is very rough right now, even for ex-Google engineers, and very very rough for entry level positions. So you may be doing everything right, just the market is touhg, and it may work in a better market.
Also has OP mentioned anything about data? CS != Data analysis. and yes, that market is super saturated as well. But it is a good fit for someone who can communicate well, you just need another set of statistical knowledge.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 8:23 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Also has OP mentioned anything about data? CS != Data analysis. and yes, that market is super saturated as well. But it is a good fit for someone who can communicate well, you just need another set of statistical knowledge.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 8:23 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
I work in tech and unfortunately, as you're finding, the market is really bad right now. For years, tech just kept growing and expanding and paying crazy salaries, and the bubble has burst and companies are trying to (over-)correct by laying people off and/or not replacing people when they leave. All of those laid-off folks are now looking for jobs. I was a project manager in tech for 10 years and got laid off, and was unemployed for 3+ months, but I know several people who have been out of work in tech for 6 months to a year. It's awful.
So that good news is that it's not just you; the market is extremely competitive right now because there are lots of people with tech experience that you're competing against. The bad news is that it's going to be tough for you to find something. I agree with others above that technical writing seems like a great fit in this in-between period, but again, you're going to be competing against technical writers with years of experience, so it will be a challenge.
Not sure if you're aware or interested, but there are several organizations that focus on keeping news alive via tech. I have a friend who's also a former journalist who's made a career out of this intersection of news and tech. Feel free to MeMail me if you'd be interested in an intro!
posted by anotheraccount at 8:34 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
So that good news is that it's not just you; the market is extremely competitive right now because there are lots of people with tech experience that you're competing against. The bad news is that it's going to be tough for you to find something. I agree with others above that technical writing seems like a great fit in this in-between period, but again, you're going to be competing against technical writers with years of experience, so it will be a challenge.
Not sure if you're aware or interested, but there are several organizations that focus on keeping news alive via tech. I have a friend who's also a former journalist who's made a career out of this intersection of news and tech. Feel free to MeMail me if you'd be interested in an intro!
posted by anotheraccount at 8:34 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
I was going suggest customer support at a company who's product is aimed at developers, ie someone developing APIs. Where I used to work we had (non technical) support folks who answers most of the support questions but then we had a technical support team that was comprised of software developers who would handle the questions that were more coding focused or just generally thornier and needs someone with engineering skills to navigate, either being able to look at the code base, reproduce a bug, translate a feature request to what needed to be done internally, etc.. There were often support folks who were in a position like you're describing, trying to build out their skills and if they showed initiative/interest in learning, it wasn't hard for them to get mentoring from folks on the TS team.
There were a couple similar functions within sales, sales engineers tended to be pretty technical at our company b/c the product was complicated, but other less technical roles were created that worked closely with sales or the development team of marquee customers, again it was a good entrance point for some one who wanted to build their tech skills. There also eventually was a training/certification team, which also required a combination of communications and tech skills. All of these teams also had a need for various tooling, etc. that no one else in the company was going to build so there were other opportunities to grow coding skills wise.
posted by snowymorninblues at 9:34 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
There were a couple similar functions within sales, sales engineers tended to be pretty technical at our company b/c the product was complicated, but other less technical roles were created that worked closely with sales or the development team of marquee customers, again it was a good entrance point for some one who wanted to build their tech skills. There also eventually was a training/certification team, which also required a combination of communications and tech skills. All of these teams also had a need for various tooling, etc. that no one else in the company was going to build so there were other opportunities to grow coding skills wise.
posted by snowymorninblues at 9:34 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Maybe try a temp agency? As a bonus a lot of temp gigs lead to getting hired and it would give you another opportunity to network. Depending on the size of the city where you live there may be temp agencies that specialize in tech that would be delighted to have someone with your skill set.
posted by forkisbetter at 10:41 AM on September 18
posted by forkisbetter at 10:41 AM on September 18
I don't think you mentioned your location, but if moving to a state capital is an option, look for work through state government employment websites. They are often short on tech folk because they leave for higher salaries - but state jobs often come with good benefits in compensation
posted by TimHare at 11:43 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
posted by TimHare at 11:43 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Hiring may start to loosen up a little now, with the rate cuts that were just announced! There's always a push-pull between cutting headcount to save money, and individual executives wanting more headcount to expand their personal empire, and the decreased cost of borrowing money will shift the balance on that a little.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 12:07 PM on September 18 [1 favorite]
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 12:07 PM on September 18 [1 favorite]
You have getting an MS in computer science as a long term goal, but to me that is a milestone on the journey and not a destination. If you could wave a magic wand and have an MS in computer science tomorrow, what would be the next step? I don't think that you should get an MS without having that part of the plan figured out. In particular, I'm not sure that some kind of general MS in CS is going to give you a leg up on some kind of generalized 'tech' job, *but* a specifically focused MS could give you a leg up on a specialized tech job. Some example stories:
"I want to work in machine learning,so I want to get a masters focused on machine learning"
"I want to work at ILM, so I want to get a masters focused on computer graphics"
"I want to build IoT, so I want to get a masters focused on writing embedded software"
"I want to spend my days diving into huge datasets, so I want to get a masters focused on managing data at scale"
For some kinds of jobs, you might want to get a PhD to really be competitive. For other kinds of tech jobs, a master's wouldn't be so relevant at all. Where do you want to go and how does an MS help you get there?
posted by Kwine at 12:24 PM on September 18 [3 favorites]
"I want to work in machine learning,so I want to get a masters focused on machine learning"
"I want to work at ILM, so I want to get a masters focused on computer graphics"
"I want to build IoT, so I want to get a masters focused on writing embedded software"
"I want to spend my days diving into huge datasets, so I want to get a masters focused on managing data at scale"
For some kinds of jobs, you might want to get a PhD to really be competitive. For other kinds of tech jobs, a master's wouldn't be so relevant at all. Where do you want to go and how does an MS help you get there?
posted by Kwine at 12:24 PM on September 18 [3 favorites]
Sorry but recommending a computer science PhD to someone (presumably) in their mid to late 30s with only a community college CS classes under their belt is a non starter. The prep itself would take years, in addition to lost wages, etc.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 12:42 PM on September 18 [4 favorites]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 12:42 PM on September 18 [4 favorites]
I didn't recommend that the asker get a PhD in CS. I recommended that they clarify why they want to get a masters in CS.
posted by Kwine at 2:03 PM on September 18
posted by Kwine at 2:03 PM on September 18
Have you tried to leverage the community college itself? Can you 1) ask professors if they have any pointers for you 2) find the community college's job board and see if they are hiring anyone in their IT department? In some cases they'll have jobs that give preference to students exactly to help people get work experience.
posted by inkyz at 4:10 PM on September 18
posted by inkyz at 4:10 PM on September 18
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Are there any internship programs available to you through the community college (I know that sometimes these are only available to degree-seeking students, and of course also the quality of these kinds of programs varies wildly). In my part of the world, computer science interns/coops are paid pretty good wages - not that different from a junior developer. They're 3-6 month positions but they can get your foot in the door and get you experience/a network/recommendations that make you more attractive for the next job.
Finally have you worked with any recruiters at all? Either for technical roles or customer support jobs? I don't have any specific recruiters/agencies to recommend (and the quality of the recruiter/agency matters a lot) but they can be good for helping you find the kinds of roles that you can actually get hired for. Getting your first tech job is a major hurdle but it gets A LOT easier after that.
posted by mskyle at 5:26 AM on September 18 [2 favorites]