When To Give Up Your Day Job

Okay, you hate your job. All you want to do is write; it is your lifelong passion. You can taste success. You know you can make it as a high-priced freelance writer. You’ve heard the stories; devoured the ads for all those writing courses that promised you fame and fortune. You can see yourself sipping a cool Margarita on some exotic beach, smiling, pecking away at your laptop, knowing full well that you were producing another great masterpiece.

Then your boss screams, “Get back to work!”

That’s right, it’s back to reality and the 9 to 5 grind. Life ain’t fair.

But before you tell your obnoxious boss to shove it and storm out into the cruel world, relax and look before you leap. Think about this: Many well-known writers had to work for a living and write whenever they had the time ... just like you.

For instance, Kurt Vonnegut worked at General Electric for years in the PR department. Walt Whitman served as a lowly government secretary. William S. Porter (O’Henry) was a bank teller ... before bank funds were found missing. Lots of writers, such as Aldous Huxley, Joseph Heller and Dorothy Parker, worked full-time as copywriters during the day. Others worked for newspapers, like Erma Bombeck, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck. And if you ever wondered why Agatha Christie knew so many ways to poison people, it was because she worked as a pharmacist for years. So, you see, you are in good company if you’re writing and still holding down your day job.

Now if you really can’t take your present job anymore, look around for another one. Some writers do better with physical or “mindless” jobs that rests their creative minds for writing later on in the evening. I found an even better way: I often took jobs where I could work and write at the same time ... and get a paycheck at the end of the week! Impossible, you say. No. I’ve done it. I produced four novels at work as a bridge tender, working the night shift. Years earlier, I worked as a night security guard and night parking lot cashier, polishing off a batch of columns, stories and articles. Of course, I made sure the writing didn’t interfere or cost me my job. But I was always aware that writing was my primary focus. The other was but a means to keep a roof over my head.

You may want to also consider a “regular job” in the writing field. My 16 years in newspapers taught me the value of deadlines, interviewing techniques and writing quickly and accurately. I strongly recommend any aspiring writer to put in a stint at his or her local community newspaper. Unlike large dailies, these smaller papers offer wannabe writers an opportunity to be more creative. The diversity of covering everything from hard news to features to photography to production to circulation will give you a foundation unlike anything taught in today’s liberal arts colleges.

Writing is a continuous learning experience. And today, thanks to the Internet, you can gain knowledge with a click of a mouse. Ebooks on writing or the writing profession is a cheap way you can get information quickly and easily. Tips and insider secrets are there for the taking. So don’t hesitate to learn and keep on learning and writing. When you have gained enough knowledge and confidence in your writing ability then, and only then, it may be time to go out on a limb.

But don’t take that leap until you ...

1. Have two year’s worth of savings in the bank, just in case.
2. Have sufficient knowledge of your field to be classified an expert.
3. Have sold enough of your work to know you can sell more.
4. Have the complete backing of your family members.
5. Have finally had it with your regular job!

If you’ve checked all five, then go ahead and take that leap. But watch that first step. It can be scary. Then again, so is a life of unhappiness and watching your dreams fade away. It’s your choice. Good luck!

E. P. "Ned" Burke has been in the publishing business for 30 years. Besides holding the title of editor of various newspapers in Florida and Pennsylvania, he was also the publisher of Yesterday's Magazette, New Writer's and Writer's Guidelines and News magazines.

He has published seven novels and numerous articles and short stories. Currently, he is the president of E. P. Burke Publishing and serves as online editor of Yesterday's Magazette and The Perspiring Writer Magazine.

His copywriting service, "My Personal Copywriter" specializes in serving authors, publishers, small business owners, and others in need. He also owns E-Books On Writing, E-Books For Marketeers and My Personal Resume Writer.