*** Scroll down to answer a few soul-searching questions ***
I’ve always envied people who claim to love their jobs and thought, “That’ll never happen to me.”
I’ve never considered myself lazy, just not-too-motivated at times. The only jobs I genuinely enjoyed were flight attendant for a major airline and letter writer (Legislative Correspondent is the fancy title) for a U.S. senator. The pay was lousy, but I liked working on “the Hill.” Every other job, every single one, I didn’t like.
I’d go on interviews, feigning interest in the position while thinking about the health coverage and steady paycheck. Although I did what I was hired to do, I never got excited about projects or strived to move up or stand out. No matter how cool the job looked to people on the outside, it was drudge work to me. I longed to put the time and energy I spent getting ready for work, taking the Metro to work, working all day, and returning from work into my own business rather than someone else’s. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it.
In April, I’ll celebrate my second anniversary of self-employment. It’s a miracle, really. I quit a fairly decent full time job. I was unhappy and desperate to try full time freelance writing again. In 2002, I’d quit a more-than-decent government job (I still cry over the benefits I lost) to be a “freelance writer” without knowing a thing about the business. During this unemployment hiatus, I’d published my first op-ed. But I soon realized I hadn’t planned well and didn’t know what it took to consistently sell work, so I returned to the 9-5 grind.
And endured two years of it. The freelance bug kept biting. Feeling bold, reckless, and approaching 40, I quit my full time job in 2005 to give it one more go. I intended to do straight article writing, maybe a little copywriting. But thanks to the success of this blog, I ended up as a blog consultant. It fell into my lap, actually, and it was a good thing. Making a living as a freelance writer is do-able but difficult. Most of the money I make is through consulting, not freelance writing. My business has shifted from creating sites and marketing them online to providing content. In other words, I blog for businesses.
I love blogging, so I’m doing what I love; however, my dream was to work from home as a freelance writer. I’ve got the work-from-home part down (thank you, Lord!), but I’m still working on the other. I have a lot more to say, including advice about how to swing self-employment, but I’m saving it for my book. 
So I ask you, readers, do you hate your job? According to this report, you do. People under 25 are the least satisfied with their jobs, as are those making under $15,000 a year. People living in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are the least satisfied with their jobs, and bonus plans and promotion policies were rated the least satisfactory aspects of the job. (Also see Americans Hate Their Jobs More Than Ever)
Questions:
1) Do you hate/dislike your job, or are you one of the lucky ones?
2) If you hate/dislike your job, what would you rather be doing?
3) What will it take for you to land your dream job, and are you willing to do what it takes?
Related posts:
- Self-Employment, etc.
- On Fellowships and Freelancing
- Last Things
- Quittin’ Time
- Help Me Name My Business
Resources:
