The past year has been insane.
I left television exactly a year ago, ending a decade-long career of news producing. There would be no more late nights, no more breaking news, and no more prolific workplace f-bombs as reporters missed slot and live trucks broke down. No more storm coverage planning, no more sweeps meetings, and no more election night pizza.
And I haven’t missed any of it. Well, except for the pizza.
The truth is, I was ready to leave television. Ten years of late nights, long weeks, missed weddings and birthday parties, and countless crises—inside and outside of the newsroom—had taken their toll. Work wasn’t fun anymore. I wasn’t just excited to start Career 2.0—I needed the change.
I was also terrified; I had no idea what waited for me on the other side of news. My television career was coming to an end, everything we owned was stuffed into the back of a U-Haul held together with duct tape, and there was no job waiting for me in North Carolina. It’s frightening to take a leap when you can’t see where you’re going to land.
But I felt the fear and did it anyway—and I’m so thankful I did.
I’ve managed to launch a new career in higher education and reach a level of professional happiness I never knew was possible. I’ve become a homeowner—taking care of the yard, painting the living room, and finding small ways to make our home our own. I’ve encountered something new and exciting every day. How many people can say that and actually mean it?
So yes, it has been an insane year. But I don’t have a single regret.
And that’s truly something to be thankful for.
Brendan Foley 