If you follow me on Facebook, you might know that I recently posted a tongue-in-cheek statement that journalists were completely unqualified for any job outside of a newsroom. While that was a joke, there is a danger in assuming that working at a newspaper qualifies you to work in another field.

The latter statement may sound like common sense to those of you not employed by a newspaper. But some journalists believe their careers have taught them a variety of skills allowing them to excel in many unrelated fields. It’s an arrogance stemming from the belief that newspapers’ success are key to the future of the American democracy.

And it can bite you in the ass when you apply for a job in a different field, like many laid-off journalists are doing now. For an example of how we can be held back by our own self-importance, check out this blog post and the follow-up on Poynter.

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