From the day my parents taught me how to sell school supplies in one corner of their candy store when I was about 7 or 8 years old, I learned the joys of working to earn money for myself.
Walking The Freelancing Way
Older post: Of Work, Perseverance and the Google Sandbox
Newer post: On Blog Networks, Bullies and Bridges
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
AnP 05.11.05 at 3:52 pm
I am still, up to now, too afraid to leave my comfort zone by giving up my fullt-ime job. However, my dear Guru, I am already knee-deep (pa lang! haha) in writing queries, receiving rejection letters and a few acceptance letters. All thanks to you -> for the advices and the inspiration.
Thanks for sharing this article!
kisses to Cam!
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John 05.12.05 at 2:26 pm
I can identify with #3 especially. I’d add a sub-part to this — “be able to face rejection”. This is part of a freelancer’s life (especially a freelance writer), but some people are deathly afraid of it.
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Shai 05.14.05 at 5:45 am
AnP: Don’t worry. Take your time. It’s never easy to make that call. And, it really depends on each person’s situation.
Anyway, thanks for dropping by!
John: Totally agree. It IS part of a freelancer’s life. Including quasi-acceptances.. You get the ‘job’, but you never get paid… or your pay gets stuck, or you lose a lead, etc. It’s very, very tough. And, it is scary. But, most people who’re freelancing wouldn’t go back to a full-time job, unless they absolutely have to. Me included.
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Christine 05.18.05 at 3:21 am
i wish i could do it but the hard reality of financial responsibilities makes me deathly afraid to cross that threshold into the unknown. editing the scrapbooking blog opened me to a lot of possibilities and i have you to thank
Perhaps one day when I’m brave enough I could take that leap but for now, I take comfort in the fact that I work full time to provide a good, comfortable life to my family and myself and at the same time pursue my passion in the wee hours of the morning
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Shai Coggins 05.30.05 at 6:06 pm
christine: i can empathise with your fears. i think everyone gets that. in my case, i just made the decision a long time ago and tried to stick to it. it’s not always easy, i know. i guess, that’s one advantage of having a hubby with a FT job — it’ll be tough if i don’t earn money from my freelancing pursuits, but it won’t be a disaster.
and, yes, i’m glad to know that the scrapbooking blog is opening up new opportunities for you. that’s exactly the idea of the network.
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phoenix 11.09.05 at 6:44 pm
This is me being brave. Being very brave.
First, as I mentioned in my bio, I’m a blog virgin. I have only just ventured into the uncertain waters of online intercourse, and I do so now simply because opportunity quit going door to door years ago. One has to seek it out—especially in unfamiliar places.
Second, I have finally accepted that my assumptions about the “traditional” marketplace have blinded me to the truth. No matter how much I might wish it otherwise or scratch my head in disbelief, the era of 9-to-5 workdays, office coolers, gold watches, and corporate loyalty are gone. Daniel Pink’s “Free Agent Nation” dispelled that myth. But, as any responsible iconoclast ought, he offered a new model, new hope.
So, with all the bravery I can muster, I am redefining myself yet again. To paraphrase Eddie Izzard paraphrasing JFK, “Ich bin ein freelancer.”
Nevertheless, even though I have accepted the passing of the old marketplace, I am intimidated by the advent of this one. Isn’t that the way of it, though, whenever we give up one life for a another, flight for flames?
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