Those affected by the Washington Post layoffs need to see hope

The Washington Post recently cut a contingent of its staff. But as opposed to lamenting, it should be one door closing while another opens.

Far too often, when people lose their jobs, they feel anger, betrayal, resentment, and they carry a victim mentality. But it doesn’t need to be that way.

I was so fed up with sports journalism that I walked away from it—perfectly fine that I was also walking away from roughly a $60,000/year salary, full benefits, and stability.

Why? Because I was thinking ahead, asking myself the burning question of how I could hop off the wheel as a content hamster and become a content builder.

Many of those people laid off at the Washington Post worked in the sports department, and as a former sportswriter myself, part of me wants to feel sympathy. Hell, I’d have felt at least some sympathy—even if the Post is down there with the New York Times in my book—if this happened last year.

Even now that I write this, I’m sure people will say, “TC, people just lost their jobs and livelihoods.”

I get that. But when you see better ways to earn a living as opposed to reporting an endless array of news cycles week after week, month after month, and year after year, especially on bread and circuses, you can’t unsee it.

For former sportswriters at the Post, this is one door closing…

In life, I’ve learned one important lesson: When a door closes behind you, the door in front of you will open if you care to open it. That door always leads to a better purpose, and one that will most likely provide a greater service to people than feeding them information that doesn’t help them become more successful.

During my waning days as a sportswriter, I had this feeling. I was writing about hockey, which is still a niche sport in many ways. A sport that, regardless of what happened on the ice, shouldn’t affect the psyche those coming out and watching the game, or those viewing it on TV.

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