4 answers
kaitlyn
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
1
Question
Asked
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How can I choose between these two careers. I'm stuck between becoming a journalist or a 911 operator. I've looked into both of them but choosing between the two is a tough decision. ?
I've always been very indecisive and get very bored easily so choosing between these two unrelated jobs is a hard task,
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4 answers
Sandra Tapfumaneyi, MA, FPEM, CPM
Emergency Manager
1
Answer
Fort Myers, Florida
Updated
Sandra’s Answer
Hi Kaitlyn,
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more about being a 911 operator. I can connect you to our dispatchers that do an amazing job answering 911 calls - it is an intense, but very rewarding career path. I am new to this site, so I am not sure how we can connect, but I'd be happy to connect you to the Manager of the 911 Center.
Sandra
Let me know if you are interested in knowing more about being a 911 operator. I can connect you to our dispatchers that do an amazing job answering 911 calls - it is an intense, but very rewarding career path. I am new to this site, so I am not sure how we can connect, but I'd be happy to connect you to the Manager of the 911 Center.
Sandra
Sandra, welcome to career village! Because many of the users here are underage, a great deal of precaution is taken to protect them. The way to make a referral is by using the "refer this question" link directly below Caitlyn's post. I'm not sure if the person receiving the referral would have to set up a profile first or not. Thanks for trying to make the connection! Dispatching is awesome, it's always something different! Time flies by!
Kim Igleheart
Thank you for stepping in Kim, you're absolutely right! Please use the referral button. This prompts your contact to create an account and answer the question. However, another work around is that you can have your contact write up a response and you can post it on their behalf!
Gurpreet Lally, Admin
Janet Upton
Retired fire chief
4
Answers
Napa, California
Updated
Janet’s Answer
Kim covered a lot of great points- I’ll add my two cents:
The field of journalism has drastically changed over the last couple of decades and the industry as a whole is laying people of and/or offering early retirement packages because they are hemorrhaging money. Journalism is a noble and necessary undertaking and, at its best, a crucial pillar of a free society. That said, if you are looking for steady pay and good benefits, it may not be the best choice.
911 dispatching does provide good pay and benefits that your future self will thank you for when it comes time to retire. It is a very challenging job and you need to have strength of fortitude mentally, emotionally and physically (in terms of negating the sedentary nature of the job) if you want to flourish. I will say it is very rewarding and you will make a difference in many lives along the way (I worked in a 911 Command Center when coming up through the fire department ranks).
A good compromise between the two fields is to become a Public Information Officer for a police or fire department.
Best of luck in your endeavors!
The field of journalism has drastically changed over the last couple of decades and the industry as a whole is laying people of and/or offering early retirement packages because they are hemorrhaging money. Journalism is a noble and necessary undertaking and, at its best, a crucial pillar of a free society. That said, if you are looking for steady pay and good benefits, it may not be the best choice.
911 dispatching does provide good pay and benefits that your future self will thank you for when it comes time to retire. It is a very challenging job and you need to have strength of fortitude mentally, emotionally and physically (in terms of negating the sedentary nature of the job) if you want to flourish. I will say it is very rewarding and you will make a difference in many lives along the way (I worked in a 911 Command Center when coming up through the fire department ranks).
A good compromise between the two fields is to become a Public Information Officer for a police or fire department.
Best of luck in your endeavors!
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1750
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
That's an interesting two careers you've got there Kaitlyn! I would start looking at how the two are similar and how they differ. I'll start with a few of my observations:
1. SAME: Work irregular hours with weird days off (potentially) and might work holidays as well
2. Journalist: Might get stuck covering an area you don't want to cover - perhaps you want to report on the young peoples' social scene, and instead you are assigned to cover city hall (I recently met a guy who set out to be a creative writer, now he's covering school board politics. . . )
3. 911-operator: stuck sitting in one place for an entire shift vs/ journalist - driving out and about
4. journalist: might need to pay a little more attention to wardrobe vs/ 911 operator (sometimes) is pretty casual
5. journalist: Might be using your own car to go to assignments, not sure how great the company compensates for that. - having dependable transportation is probably a must vs/ 911 operator - can catch a ride if your car breaks down, no big deal
6. 911 operator highly stressful, high burnout rate! (not exactly boring!)- vs. journalist - could be stressful with deadlines, or covering crime scenes, but not nearly as stressful as 911 operator
7. journalist -room to make a name for yourself, get your work recognized, etc. vs911 operator - lots of other people doing the same job, advancement is to supervisor or manager, or trainer, great work is really just all in a day's work, might not be recognized.
Anyway, you get the idea. I usually encourage people to find the intersection of the two fields - which for you might be being a reporter covering the crime beat. But, there's no guarantees that's where they'd assign you.
When you say 911-operator, that's normally the person who receives the initial call. Any thought of being a dispatcher? Or paramedic? What part of each job (operator/journalist) appeals to you? Which parts don't sound so appealing? There are many other jobs related to those two, so, once you start to narrow down the likes and dislikes of each, perhaps we can find others that might be of interest to you!
1. SAME: Work irregular hours with weird days off (potentially) and might work holidays as well
2. Journalist: Might get stuck covering an area you don't want to cover - perhaps you want to report on the young peoples' social scene, and instead you are assigned to cover city hall (I recently met a guy who set out to be a creative writer, now he's covering school board politics. . . )
3. 911-operator: stuck sitting in one place for an entire shift vs/ journalist - driving out and about
4. journalist: might need to pay a little more attention to wardrobe vs/ 911 operator (sometimes) is pretty casual
5. journalist: Might be using your own car to go to assignments, not sure how great the company compensates for that. - having dependable transportation is probably a must vs/ 911 operator - can catch a ride if your car breaks down, no big deal
6. 911 operator highly stressful, high burnout rate! (not exactly boring!)- vs. journalist - could be stressful with deadlines, or covering crime scenes, but not nearly as stressful as 911 operator
7. journalist -room to make a name for yourself, get your work recognized, etc. vs911 operator - lots of other people doing the same job, advancement is to supervisor or manager, or trainer, great work is really just all in a day's work, might not be recognized.
Anyway, you get the idea. I usually encourage people to find the intersection of the two fields - which for you might be being a reporter covering the crime beat. But, there's no guarantees that's where they'd assign you.
When you say 911-operator, that's normally the person who receives the initial call. Any thought of being a dispatcher? Or paramedic? What part of each job (operator/journalist) appeals to you? Which parts don't sound so appealing? There are many other jobs related to those two, so, once you start to narrow down the likes and dislikes of each, perhaps we can find others that might be of interest to you!
Baljit Gill
Lawyer paralegal
127
Answers
Milpitas, California
Updated
Baljit’s Answer
Hi Kaitlyn,
Have you tried volunteering in either of these careers? Journalism and 911 dispatch are both very rewarding careers yet not too different. They both deal with emergency situations and you need to be a people person to work well in both avenues. Dispatching requires both working answering phones and radios, relaying information to emergency workers, reliance on sending messages to and from the public and staff. Journalism like 911 are required to be unbiased in their reporting, meet deadlines required in reporting, research stories and submit stories that are accurate and free of bias. And both careers are required to be professional and accurate.
Have you tried volunteering in either of these careers? Journalism and 911 dispatch are both very rewarding careers yet not too different. They both deal with emergency situations and you need to be a people person to work well in both avenues. Dispatching requires both working answering phones and radios, relaying information to emergency workers, reliance on sending messages to and from the public and staff. Journalism like 911 are required to be unbiased in their reporting, meet deadlines required in reporting, research stories and submit stories that are accurate and free of bias. And both careers are required to be professional and accurate.