As I’ve often written here, I feel very blessed by how rich and rewarding my career has been after taking a buyout from the Guardian in 2010. I’ve travelled the world, working with journalism organisations and journalists to help them seize their digital future, and that prepared me for my current as the editor of Knowledge Bridge, a project of the Media Development Loan Fund, to help news organisations in emerging democracies make the transition to digital media. 

With all of the turmoil in the industry, I often speak with former colleagues and friends in the business who are facing their own decisions. For those who didn’t know what I was doing during my freelance years, I often simply replied, “I’m doing things to support my journalism habit.” My digital skills paid the bills, allowing me to accept the going rate for freelance journalism jobs. I still love journalism, and for most journalists, what we do is more than just a job. For many who practice it, it is an all-consuming passion, which makes it very difficult to transition to another profession. 

However, if you want some inspiration on what comes after journalism, check out the excellent blog, NewspaperAlum. The site says:

What you WON’T read about in this blog: Firings, layoffs, dwindling circulation figures, and embarrassing headlines. What you WILL read about in this blog: Reports on the whereabouts and activities of those who have left U.S. daily newspapers and have blazed a new path for themselves outside of the newsroom.

On this rainy Monday here in Britain, if you need a bit of inspiration for when you are coming to a fork in the professional road, take a stroll through these personal stories. It is an important reminder: There is life after journalism.