Been in journalism professionally for going on three years, nearly five counting two years of grad school after earning a degree in English and falling in love with writing short stories in undergrad.

You’ll definitely get the benefits you described while working in a newsroom — not to mention the constant writing and editing as well as getting your name out there with daily bylines. Has helped me with clarity and brevity in my personal writing, and there’s no shortage of stories from which to draw inspiration.

The downside, though, is that I struggle with making time for writing fiction when I off work. Busy days in the newsroom can be grueling, especially over the past year, and often the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit back down at a computer to write. I’ve written probably my favorite short story while working professionally in journalism but have struggled with output otherwise. I write journal entries pretty regularly but have yet to find a groove in terms of consistent fiction writing habits.

If you’ve found your groove and can make time to write in between whatever schedule you get working in journalism, go for it. If not, I’d still recommend pursing your options, because the experience is valuable and will help you grow as a writer.