Oh, you’ve been at that career of yours for a while now, haven’t you? And you’re making money, but not what you want, right? Here’s a word you may not have thought you’d hear from me – patience. Patience, my friend, for the foundation you lay today is the place where that career of your dreams will sit.
Look, I get that you feel desperate sometimes. Really. I’ve been there. Remember, I had to start from zero, too. I know you’ve taken a job or three that haven’t exactly put you on the Fortune 500 list. Me too. Yes, I’ve taken stuff that’s paid some pretty crappy wages along the way. Sometimes the stuff that seems like garbage is actually more valuable on a resume than not, though. I took a job a while back writing for a nursing magazine. Lousy wages, but darned if those clips didn’t give me clout when I proposed something to a physican magazine. No one need know how much you make, you see. They only need to see you’ve done the work and it’s presentable, respectable work.
We all progress at our own paces. The key, though is forward progression. If you’ve been stuck in the same jobs for six months, time to branch out and away from that sure thing or two. Take that experience you’ve built up and farm it out to a higher bidder. Seriously. You can do it. It’s how we get from zero to something fabulous.
Don’t feel badly if your career is going slower than expected. Instead, get active. Read others’ experiences, try things out, and by all means, extend beyond your current comfort zone. Soon you’ll be looking back at your progress and patting yourself on the back. As you should.
What’s your current sticking point? Maybe we can help you figure out an alternative, so post it here. And established writers, when did you make a move to expand the income potential? How’d it go?
3 responses to “And Now a Word for the Slow Pokes”
I’m not necessarily an established writer, but I am very satisfied with my progress. I was there drudging away at the lower paying gigs too. Not a pretty picture for me, but I have since moved on from that hair pulling frustration (LOL, surprisingly I still have some hair) to a better place where I can make tons more for one article alone.
Yes, I have to put in work to find clients and build myself up to become an even higher paid writer, but the frustrations I used to have trying to make the same money are near gone. Sure, I have to deal with clients every now and then, who drive me up the wall, but I’d rather do that then drive myself crazy trying to write tons of articles for the privilege of having chump change.
I never thought I’d be marketing myself, especially face to face. But, now that I’ve tried it, I actually love it. Would I ever go back? Heck no. I like my sanity too much to lose it again. But, that’s just me.
I'm so tired this morning I can't think straight. I'd say my sticking point is getting out the newest brochure — every time I sit down to do it, I get in a new assignment. But I know I need to get it out in order to make sure I don't have a fallow time.
I need about two hours in a hot tub with a martini, and then I'll be able to think straight.
–Reporting from a really busy trip in DC!
You can think straight after a martini, Devon? You're more woman than I am! LOL One vodka martini and I forget my middle name.
Wendy, stop that. You ARE an established writer. And hair grows back. 🙂 Yes, the higher pay doesn't eliminate the aggravation altogether, but it makes it so much easier to bear. 😉