Ferrick got a job with a since-disbanded news service, the United Press International, in Philadelphia and later in Harrisburg. In 1976, he was hired as a Statehouse reporter in Harrisburg for the Inquirer and climbed through a series of reporting and editing positions, including City Hall bureau chief, poverty reporter, political writer, deputy editor, and special-projects writer.
Ferrick obtained employment with UPI, a news service that no longer exists, initially in Philadelphia and later in Harrisburg. In 1976, he was hired as a Statehouse reporter for the Inquirer in Harrisburg and progressed through reporting and editing positions such as City Hall bureau chief, poverty reporter, political writer, deputy editor, and special-projects writer.