The traditional journalism career path — moving from one newsroom to a larger one, climbing the masthead, and steadily advancing through the ranks — no longer reflects the reality facing many media professionals today.
That’s one of the key findings from career researcher and MyCareerRiver founder Bridget Thoreson, who has spent the past several years interviewing professionals about how they navigate career uncertainty and change.
During a recent episode of Local Media Association’s Keep It Local podcast, Thoreson shared lessons from more than 160 interviews that have shaped her understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable career in journalism and beyond.
A profession facing uncertainty
Journalists today face a combination of challenges that previous generations rarely encountered at the same scale: newsroom layoffs, industry consolidation, technological disruption, and an increasingly competitive job market.
For many professionals, those forces can create a sense that career outcomes are largely outside their control.
Thoreson argues that uncertainty, while uncomfortable, can also create opportunities for growth and discovery.
“The more people I talk to who share their stories of these moments of uncertainty and how they used them to figure out what was next, the more people feel comfortable that it’s okay that they’re in a moment of uncertainty themselves,” she said.
Rethinking what progress means
One of the strongest themes to emerge from Thoreson’s research is the idea that career progress is not always linear.
For decades, success was often measured by promotions, larger organizations, or more prestigious titles. Today, she says, professionals are increasingly defining success in different ways depending on their stage of life and priorities.
That may mean pursuing stability instead of status, prioritizing flexibility, launching an independent venture, or making a move that better aligns with personal goals.
Understanding what progress means at a particular moment, she said, allows people to make career decisions that fit their current needs rather than pursuing advancement simply because it appears to be the next step on a traditional ladder.
Discovery requires uncertainty
Another lesson from her research is that uncertainty is often a necessary ingredient for discovering new opportunities.
Thoreson shared the story of a journalist who spent more than a year searching for work after a layoff. After submitting well over 100 applications with little success, the journalist shifted her approach by focusing on the skills and solutions she could provide rather than searching for specific job titles.
Within a month, she had secured a job offer.
For Thoreson, the story illustrates a broader principle: meaningful discovery happens when people become willing to explore possibilities they may not have previously considered.
“You truly cannot learn anything new unless you’re coming from a place of not knowing,” she said.
Journalism skills remain highly transferable
As more journalists explore opportunities outside traditional newsrooms, Thoreson believes many underestimate the value of the skills they already possess.
Research, interviewing, audience understanding, information gathering, verification, communication, and storytelling are abilities that organizations across industries need.
Those skills can translate into a wide range of roles, including consulting, communications, audience development, product work, marketing, education, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship.
At the same time, many journalists are launching newsletters, podcasts, consulting businesses, and other independent media ventures that allow them to continue practicing journalism while building new revenue streams.
Defining yourself by skills, not titles
Thoreson encourages professionals to move away from defining themselves solely by job titles and employers.
Instead, she suggests focusing on the value they create and the problems they help solve.
During the interview, she described an exercise in which professionals answer the question, “What do you do?” without mentioning their title or organization.
The goal is to help people think about their careers through the lens of impact rather than hierarchy.
Finding alignment
Ultimately, Thoreson’s research points toward a broader goal than simply landing the next job.
She believes the most fulfilling careers are built around alignment — finding opportunities that match a person’s skills, interests, values, and circumstances.
That alignment may look different from one person to the next, and it may evolve throughout a career.
But for journalists navigating a rapidly changing industry, she believes curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to rethink old assumptions can help create new possibilities.
For those currently facing layoffs, career transitions, or difficult job searches, she offered a simple reminder:
“It’s not forever.”
Even in moments of uncertainty, she said, progress is still possible — and often begins with a willingness to explore what comes next.
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Editor’s note: Artificial Intelligence was used to transcribe and create an initial summary, and then edited by a human.