The other day, I heard from another journalist who was laid off.
She wrote to me after finding my essay on Poynter’s website about when it happened to me.
She told me she had worked as a journalist for almost 25 years — and though she lost her job weeks ago, she hadn’t updated her online bios yet.
I told her I understood. Because being a journalist is a huge part of our identities.
For me, it’s been an explanation of so many things. When I say I’m a journalist, it explains:
- Why my work hours can be long and unpredictable;
- Why I love to write and edit;
- How I provide community service;
- How I feed my body and soul;
- How I have found true friends.
So for that identity to be suddenly gone feels like losing a huge part of yourself.
A few days later, I came across an Instagram post by Emmanuel Acho, who at age 30 has been an NFL player, television broadcaster, bestselling author and creator of the Emmy-nominated video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.”
He says: “Just remember that your occupation is what you do, not who you are. Because if you let your occupation become who you are, then when you no longer do what it is that you do, you have no idea who you are.”
At first, I thought: “Here we go. This is the problem with being a journalist. Our identities are so tied into our jobs that when it’s gone, we feel gone, too.”
Then I thought: “No, this is good! Like any story, we just need to look at our jobs from a different angle.”
Think about all the things that make you good at your job. To me, here are just some of what being a good journalist means:
- You’re a dedicated and conscientious worker;
- You have word skills;
- You care about getting things right;
- You want to help your community;
- You can connect with people.
Losing a job does not take these traits away from you. Any employer would value these qualities. You are more than your job title.
I think this is what Acho is referring to. That instead of defining ourselves by our jobs — reporter, editor, NFL player, CEO — we should define ourselves by what makes us good at our jobs.
I’m learning this as I figure out my self-employment path. I want to use the skills I’ve gained in journalism to help other journalists and hopefully, non-journalists, too. I’m learning what I’m good at and where I can be better.
So if you’re in a journalism job or just coming out of one, give this a try.
Write down what makes you a good journalist.
Write down how you’d describe yourself without saying you’re a journalist.
And know that no matter what happens, nothing can take those qualities away!
Go to my Instagram to leave comments or email me your thoughts at kathy@audiencibility.com.
Kathy Lu is a Chinese American who’s still finding her groove in this world. Her time in management showed her how she loves to help people succeed. She’s also a believer of journalism’s importance to a healthy, informed and connected society.
