DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum I got accepted into graduate school! :)

I got accepted into graduate school at the seminary! I am leaving my journalism job and I'm grateful for the chance to undo the mistakes I made in HS and college--not researching a good career, for instance, like PR or engineering...even though I researched them I didn't research them ENOUGH.

I am entering a theology school/seminary in order to become a priest! It's something that I'd thought of for several years on and off but wanted to give journalism a fair shot. I graduated college several years ago and got real-world experience.

It will be a 6-year program. It will help me grow spiritually. I am not going to make this a debate about faith viewpoints, but rather about choosing the right career.

When I was at KSU I noticed there was a 3:1 ratio of kids in PR vs. school newspaper/news journalism. I didn't know why, but now I do: $tability. Had I done things differently, I may have gone into PR, but even that career is not a guaranteed shot...it depends on the company itself.

The priesthood does not offer tons and tons of $, which is fine, but it offers stability...that's all I was looking for. Actually, in terms of cost-of-living, it is better than journalism because the diocese funds a lot of infrastructure and less $ is eaten up with rent, gas prices, etc. And I can write on the side and write about things I love, not township trustee meetings. And serve others in the community--soup kitchens, youth ministry, etc. etc.

If you're in journalism or considering a career in it--DON'T DO IT. Find something that you kinda like that will support you and then do your hobby as a hobby...

young reporters underpaid, overworked-they go to pr

this happened to our paper--several of our interns said screw it: We're going to pr--and they did. You could make more at McDonalds. I'm serious, especially considering journos work 50 hrs a week and not 40.

I've always thought of the priesthood as more of a calling, not something you do because you want a steady job.

Congratulations and best of luck.

It is a calling and it is steady...in terms of job security, not necessarily money. the Diocese needs priests. thanks for the best wishes, pdawg and jules.

I didn't give you my best wishes...But you got them.

Good luck to you man....I could never take a vow of celibacy. You are stronger than I.

Quote:

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Good luck to you man....I could never take a vow of celibacy.

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That and the wine would have to be a much higher quality for you.

AsianDawg...It sounds like this has been growing desire that comes from within...I say follow your heart.

I have a brother-in-law who is now a retired minister and as we discussed on occasion, religion/ministry is not unlike any other job field...individuals chose the field for varied reasons.

It is his opinion, those who chose ministry go through a "weeding out process" over a period of years. Those who do not have a true calling leave the ministry at some point, and move on to do important work outside the ministry....and the ministry is ok with that.

He feels congregations, for the most part, are left with the most dedicated ministers who have stuck with the ministry for the right reasons. As he has told me on occasion, you never know what is in a person's heart.

...good luck, AsianDawg

You know AsianDawg,

I was thinking about this a lot.

In my opinion the industry is dying. The need for journalists can be traced probably (in some form) back to royal messengers. If you wanted information about the other side of the world ... it was exclusive or it was going to take 10 years to go from China to England....

Fast forward to today and we already see it transforming and maybe even dying? Why pay money to read something when many times you can get the news for free? By using a combination of social media (twitter, facebook, whatever your other preferences) I almost already know the specific news that is going on. Yes I also use TV, but I don't think I have picked up a real newspaper in more than a year. I also don't think I have checked out a true "news" source in maybe as long.

Sure I look at copies of articles posted on here sometimes and I also check the google and yahoo headlines ... but pushing for a career in Journalism today might be like pushing for a career in operating a telegraph, lighting torches, or designing horse-drawn carriages.

There will still be some need for journalism skills and maybe even some specialty journalists. ... but i think it's one of the jobs that's done with.

What school did you get accepted to? Or did I miss that?

St. Mary School of Theology and Divinity, Wickliffe

well best of luck to you.. we need as many Browns fans close to God as we can get..

thanks! my hope is that even if it doesn't work out, I will see where I'm called to next...writing for the church maybe?

for those of you curious about seminaries and vocations a good book to read--Catholic or not--is by an impartial journalist following the lives of 5 men in seminary in Wisconsin. The book is titled The Collar.

the collar