The clock

Everyone does it. You get out of college and you say, "I'm going to retire at 30." Or you're going to be a millionaire at 30.

Or, in the case of people in television news, you're going to be at a network or a major market by 30.

30 seems to be the magic number. Ironic that in newspaper terms, "30" means "the end."

Then maybe you get to thirty and the goal gets slid to 35. Then 40. (Then you end up writing a blog so young people don't make the same silly mistakes that you did.)

Okay, here's the point. The "clock" that is in your head needs to be turned off, because everyone has a different timeline. There are people who hit the show right out of the gate, and there are late bloomers. And its not when you get there, but if you can stay.

I get calls all the time from people who are stuck in small or medium markets who say things like, "I'm going nowhere and I'm already 24." Geez, I've got suits older than that. Besides, I looked so young I didn't get my first TV job till I was 28. So age means nothing. Numbers mean nothing.

Here's how you should judge your career:

-First and foremost, does what you're doing make you happy? (The actual job of journalism, not the jerk you might work for.)
-Is your goal still reachable when you eliminate the time factor?
-Is there something else you'd rather be doing? Before you leave the business, think long and hard about what a job in the outside world entails.
-Are you doing better than you were one year ago?

Let's leave the money factor out of this for the moment, especially if you're a young single person.

When should you re-evaluate your goals and decide if they're still attainable? Hard to say as the future of this business is so cloudy. But if you give up on your dream too early, trust me, you'll kick yourself for the rest of your life with the "what if?" question.

I'll never forget going back to the station after doing a fun feature when the photog said, "And we get paid for this!"

Turn off the clock. Have fun.

Other people have to really work for a living.