The Truth About My Unplanned Freelance Writing Career
Why you should reconsider quitting your day job until you’ve read this.
Back in October, I wrote about how I left my job and started freelancing full-time.
This post received an overpowering amount of support, and many found it inspirational.
Some respondents said they were also going to quit their full-time jobs.
If you’re unhappy with your job and it makes you feel like you’re going to end up in a mental hospital like mine did, you absolutely should quit your day job.
However, freelancing isn’t a cakewalk, and you shouldn’t expect it to be one. If you’re going to become a freelancer, it’s only fair that I tell you the truth about what freelance writing is like.
Yes, you’re going to hear stories about people making $10,000 a month. Those people have many sources of income, and they’ve taken the time to set up those streams. And you’re still not guaranteed that income.
How much am I making as a freelance writer?
My highest earning month this year was June when I made around $1900. Keep in mind that this was before I joined Medium, so this income came 100% from client work.
Most of my months have been around $1000–$1300, which is enough to help pay my bills. However, I’m unable to save, and with the astronomical medical bills we’ve dealt with this year, we’re draining our savings.
I never wanted to be a full-time freelance writer
Back when I worked a job, I fantasized about picking up freelancing as a side gig. In 2016, I was unemployed after the grant I worked under expired at the nonprofit I’d worked at since 2011. I started working two jobs in response: at an animal shelter and a cemetery.
At the time, I hoped that working two jobs centered around fields I cared about deeply–helping animals and helping others who’d lost loved ones–would elevate my creativity.
I hoped this would allow me to finally launch my online writing career. I even bought a website domain and started blogging.
However, I quickly became overwhelmed.
By early 2017, I no longer blogged, and I ended up lost in the hustle of working two jobs.
This hustle continued until I quit working at the animal shelter in August 2017. A couple of weeks later, I met my now-husband.
I learned to balance life as someone’s girlfriend, then fiancée, then wife, and eventually mother. Life got ahead of me, and my writing goals came to a halt.
As 2022 started, I knew something had to change. I was on the brink of a mental breakdown. I was crying every day. I’d spent July to October 2021 on maternity leave and dreading my return to work.
I knew I would never reach my full potential at this job. I knew I was meant to do something more with my life.
Quitting your day job is a risk. You’ve probably heard of a Medium writer named Eve Arnold. She frequently writes about how you shouldn’t quit your day job and what you should do instead.
Maybe I would have survived my job better if I had discovered her content in 2021–2022, who knows? I don’t think there was any help for me as long as I stayed. I had to quit that job to be where I am today.
And I was in no mental space to sell myself in interviews.
Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to build yourself back up.
Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuild my life — JK Rowling
I didn’t quit my job thinking I’d go into freelancing, nor did I expect that I’d be freelance writing full-time almost two years later.
When I close my eyes and picture my future, I’ll be honest, I’m only a part-time freelancer.
I love freelancing and taking on new projects, meeting new clients, learning from them, and helping them reach their goals.
But it’s not easy.
Clients have their schedules, and because freelancers aren’t on the payroll, we often take a backseat to their other projects. That means I might wait weeks to hear back about a new project. In the meantime, I’m not getting paid.
Freelancing is a lot of guesswork and wondering, “Will they/won’t they send new work today?”
When you work for a company, you know you will have work. And if not, at least you’re still getting paid to be there and wait for work to come in. There’s a lot less guesswork.
Looking forward to 2024
With all of these thoughts into consideration, my goal for 2024 is to join a full-time marketing agency as a copywriter or related position.
This is the best move for my family. It’s the best way I can grow as a writer and offer my skills to the world.
An on-staff writing job will certainly bring new challenges, as I’ll need to scale back on freelancing and get used to working on a designated schedule.
When I went into freelancing, my goal was to work from home.
By the end of 2022, my only goal was to write–I didn’t care where I wrote or what I wrote. This is still true today.
I want to create words that help grow brand awareness and educate consumers about great products and services. This is what the universe is telling me to do with my life.
It’s only taken me a decade out of business college to find my way.
The reality of freelancing
Freelancing isn’t for the faint of heart.
Don’t quit your day job to become a full-time freelancer for the rest of your life unless you have a solid strategy in place. I did not, and I’ve been lucky to make it this far without crumbling.
The last two years have been a learning experience, and I’m eager to start my new journey of finding the right agency that will add me to their team.
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