Those of us old enough to have Baby Boomer parents remember the idea of the career ladder: You joined a company, started in the mailroom—figuratively or literally—then worked your way up over the years until you were The Boss.

That’s not how the world works anymore, according to freelance writer Anna Burgess Yang. In a post on her Substack “Work. Better.”, she cites research that shows Gen Z workers—those born between 1995 and 2009—will likely have 18 jobs in six different careers.

This means the ladder is being replaced by what’s conventionally called the non-linear career, which Yang helpfully rebrands as “a portfolio career.”

As independent journalists and creatives, we all have online or physical portfolios of our work. Yang encourages us to do the same with our skills, no matter what job they came from.

I’ve thought about this a lot since becoming a full-time caregiver for my three elderly parents. The last seven months have taught me more about communication and project management than I’d learned in the rest of my years combined. Dealing with burnout? Check. Learning to delegate tasks? Check. Navigating different content management systems—ahem, patient portals? Check.

I may not put all that in my resume, but you bet I’d talk about it at a job interview.

And I haven’t even mentioned the transferable skills I gained in my failed attempt at climbing the career ladder: my kindergarten-through-Ph.D. apprenticeship in search of a university job. For example, I come up with strong story ideas because I received rigorous training in crafting rhetorical arguments backed up by evidence. My research skills are next level. Editing students’ writing and dissertation chapters prepared me to edit my own work, and the work of others, in my current managing editor role.

So, ask yourself: What’s your career portfolio? As Yang writes, “Your non-linear background might be why someone hires you.”

~ Sara

You now have until 11:59 ET on April 9 to submit your pitch to the IIJ’s live Pitch Fest at the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference in Chicago! Don’t miss this chance to pitch your next great story idea to a panel of all-star editors: Bryce Cracknell of the Margin, Jenny Splitter of Sentient Media, Michael Kodas of Inside Climate News, Michelle Rowan of the Chicago Tribune, and Peter Prengaman of the Associated Press.

Any Chicago-area journalist is welcome to join us at 3:30 pm CT on Saturday April 18 to catch the action. This is designed to be a valuable networking opportunity for freelance journalists.

Next week, Chicago plays host to both the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference and Audiophile, an inaugural conference for sound creators and storytellers—and we’re getting the whole group together for a meetup! Join the IIJ, the Chicago Audiomakers Collective (CAC), and the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) on Friday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. CT at Industry Ales for freelance fellowship with conference attendees and local audio journalists.

IIJ founder and executive director Katherine Reynolds Lewis is hosting a meetup with our European counterparts the Society of Freelance Journalists next Friday in Italy. If you’ll also be in Perugia for the International Journalism Festival, make sure to stop by! The first 40 people who arrive get their first wine, beer, or soft drink on us.

The IIJ is presenting a panel at this year’s American Society of Journalists and Authors virtual conference, “Freelancers’ Blueprint: Navigating a Shifting Landscape.” See the IIJ’s interactive online freelance starter guide in action at “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work for You.” IIJ editorial director Ann Marie Awad and IIJ leader Katherine Reynolds Lewis will present alongside IIJ members and journalists Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres. Receive 15% off the registration fee with the code ASJA26GRP.

The Outrider Foundation is partnering with USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health and Society program for the Outrider Nuclear Media Summit! This free, two-day conference and training will bring together journalists, content creators, and TV and movie professionals to discuss nuclear security. Guests include Charles Oppenheimer of the Oppenheimer Project and W.J. Hennigan of the New York Times.

Outrider provides a limited number of travel grants to cover expenses for U.S.-based journalists outside of Los Angeles.

Debbie Strong at Business Insider wants first-person and as-told-to stories about how frequent business travelers are navigating current disruptions, from long TSA lines to flights being canceled due to the conflict in the Middle East. 💰Rates range from $180 to $350, according to Freelancing with Tim’s rate database. Send ideas to [email protected].

Queer women, including trans women and nonbinary people, are eligible for the NLGJA Curve Fellowship for Emerging Journalists. Recipients will report on stories that uplift the voices of queer women. 💰$5,000. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Monday, April 20.

NYU’s Stern School of Business invites environmental journalists to participate in a weekend training on the emerging field of climate economics. 💰$2,000 stipend for those outside NYC for travel and accommodation, $1,000 stipend for NYC residents. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Monday, April 20.

Greater Good magazine is looking for pitches tied to upcoming holidays: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Juneteenth, and July 4. They’re looking for research-grounded reported articles or personal essays tied to a pro-social value such as love, community, connection, gratitude, or resilience. For example, these essays on altruism and recovering from moral injury. In particular, Greater Good is looking for an essay from a father who doesn’t live with his children. Pay starts at 25 cents / word or $300 for a personal essay. Please submit pitches in this form. You can see writers guidelines here.

Palabra, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ multimedia publication, encourages freelance NAHJ members to pitch stories about the Latino community. Read their submission guidelines, which includes links to their pitch form, here. 💰Rates are set on acceptance, but were listed as $1 per word in July 2025.

IIJ member Divya Karthikeyan wants writers—especially those of color—to pitch her stories about state and Appalachian policy that impacts LGBTQ+ folks for Queer Kentucky. 💰$150-$250 for short contributor pieces, higher rates for reported stories. Send pitches to [email protected].

PowerLines seeks an experienced photographer for its 2026 Visual Fellowship, which will document the impact of rising utility bills on consumers and communities. 💰$30,000 for three months of work. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Wednesday, April 15.

The 19th seeks a contract climate reporter to produce one to two stories a week from April to July on the impact of climate policy on women and those who identify as LGBTQ+. 💰$50 per hour for a maximum of $24,000. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Wednesday, April 15.

📖 In his newsletter “AI in the News,” Florent Daudens analyzes two articles from Wired and the Wall Street Journal that profile journalists who use AI at work. Independent journalist Taylor Lorenz won’t let it do any writing or editing, whereas Fortune’s Nick Lichtenberg feeds it headlines and source documents and then edits the result. But it’s Daudens’ takeaway I find most interesting: “Each of these journalists has independently rebuilt a piece of a traditional newsroom.” Think wire or rewrite desks, or copy and developmental editors. For those of us working without the resources of a traditional newsroom, this may be a potential use-case for AI.

📖 Project C interviews Andrew Freer, a documentary journalist whose Go Fourth Media has produced celebrated coverage on ICE operations in Chicago and Minneapolis. The problem? He straddles two siloed worlds—documentary and journalism—so it’s challenging to get funding. “Freer estimates he’s putting in 40 hours a week on Go Fourth work, at an opportunity cost of tens of thousands of dollars monthly to his commercial business,” the newsletter notes. Even so, he’s not stopping.

📖 We’ve mentioned the Independent Journalism Atlas before, but I wanted to give it a turn in the spotlight. It lists over 1,100 independent creators by topic, geographic location, and platform. Whether you’re looking for someone to collaborate with or examples of the kind of work you want to do, it’s a great way to find people quickly. I was surprised to learn that the writer of one of Substack’s top 10 humor newsletters lives in my town. Who knew?

🗓️ NEXT WEEK Friday, April 17 - The IIJ and the Society of Freelance Journalists are hosting a meetup at this year’s International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy! 🇮🇹 Join us at il Birraio at 3 pm local time for drinks with your fellow freelancers. RSVP here for updates!

🗓️ NEXT WEEK Friday April 17 - The IIJ is co-hosting a freelance meetup in Chicago with the Association of Independents in Radio and the Chicago Audiomakers Collective! Join us at Industry Ales at 5:30 pm CT, RSVP here for updates!

🗓️ Saturday, April 18 - The IIJ is hosting a Pitch Fest at the Society of Environmental Journalists 2026 Conference! Join IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad from 3:30-5 p.m. CT to hear fellow journalists pitch stories to a panel of all-star editors including Michael Kodas of Inside Climate News and Peter Prengaman of the Associated Press. RSVP to attend here, submit a pitch before April 9 here.

🗓️ Wednesday, April 22 - At the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ 2026 online conference, the IIJ is presenting a panel on “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work for You” from 3-3:50 p.m. ET. Hear from IIJ leaders Ann Marie Awad and Katherine Reynolds Lewis and independent journalists Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres. Register for the conference here and save 15% with the code ASJA26GRP.

🗓️ June 5 - At the Education Writers Association National Seminar in Baltimore, MD, IIJ leaders Benét Wilson, Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams will be presenting on Friday, June 5 at 10:30-11:30 am ET on entrepreneurship! Learn more and register here.

🗓️ Thursday, July 25 - The IIJ will present a panel on mastering the solo hustle at this year’s National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference and Expo in New Orleans. Speakers include IIJ editorial director Ann Marie Awad, Pizza Shark co-founder Carolina Murriel, Altavoz Lab founder Valeria Fernández and independent journalist Dr. Silvia Canelón. We will also be hosting a freelance meetup! Stay tuned for details.

▶️ Podcast: How to pitch unique NYC immigration stories to Documented

▶️ Podcast: Freelance journalism FAQ with Katherine Lewis and Shernay Williams

⏪ Webinar: Mobile Reporting: Tools for Making Content on The Go

▶️ Podcast: For $1/word, Science Friday wants enterprise stories that spark curiosity

⏪ Webinar: How to Pitch High Profile, National Media

▶️ Podcast: Pitch Sentient Media stories about how the sausage is made