Why it can be important to have a job while writing your masterpiece
By: Dominique Gibson
I have to admit that I got inspiration for this article from the Romance Writer’s Report. In the July 2019 issue of the RWR, it had an article that talked about how some authors are becoming more successful in indie publishing while others are struggling. There were also a few authors who are struggling to make ends meet in the traditional and indie publishing route as well. As for myself, the dream of becoming a full-time author is a struggle considering I am a self-published author. Based on my writing schedule alone, it has subjected me to write on the weekends because of my full-time job as a preschool teacher. Here are the following pros and cons of having a full-time job while writing your masterpiece.
Reasons why having a full time job is worthwhile:
Getting a paycheck every two weeks: With a full-time job, A writer who writes in the morning, in the evening, or even on the weekends (myself included) won’t have to worry about how to pay the bills when they know that they have a paycheck coming to them every two weeks.
Benefits: This will likely depend on the job that you are working in but if you have a job that has health insurance and 401(K), I wouldn’t consider quitting your job until you have enough money from your writing income to cover those expenses every month. The last thing a writer needs is to give out a whole lot of money to a health insurance provider if they can’t get that money back for the next couple of months.
Structure: I don’t know about other people who are in the writing profession but getting up early in the morning and going to work provides me with the structure I need in order to successfully work on my writing later. Some people say that having a job gives them a purpose in life. I agree with this statement. I’m pretty sure writing could do the same thing but since I’m not making a six-figure income at this point, having a full-time job works for me.
Having a Full-time job in a career you love (besides writing of course)can be rewarding: What do I love besides writing the best stories ever? Teaching. Right now, I’m currently in the process of transitioning from being a preschool teacher to being an infant teacher again just because I love working with infants. The best days I’ve been working in the Early Childhood Field was when I was a lead infant teacher in 2017. Plus, the flexibility of the infants schedule in addition to the light paperwork makes my writing job a whole lot easier. In 2020, I will probably create and design an online course based my experiences on how to write a novel or something along those lines but I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy that as well.
Reasons why a full-time job can suck
Less writing time: I would be lying if I told you I was happy about having less time to write when Sunday night rolls around and I know that I have to get up and go to work in the morning. I’m always saying to myself “All I need is one more hour…”
Less Marketing Time: This is even worse for me when it comes to this subject. I will admit that the reasons I haven’t been actively promoting my novels is because (1) My budget is low and (2) My full-time job is creeping into my writing business as far as paperwork is concerned. It has gotten to where I either needed to continue working in this pattern and let my writing business suffer or let the job go and find one that allows me the freedom I need on the weekend to let my writing business thrive. I chose to let the job go for a better one.
No Benefits: This is one of the downsides to being a teacher in a daycare setting. While the ones that are teaching in the public, private, and charter school settings have the added benefits of health insurance, dental insurance, and a 401(K), the teachers that works in daycare centers across the country has a 30 to 50 percent chance of obtaining a daycare job with those benefits. The majority of daycare centers offer paid time off and tuition reimbursement, if you plan on pursuing a degree in the field. That’s it. Nada. Nothing else. Don’t believe me? Look up how much daycare workers are getting paid in the U..S. and around the world then get back to me on what you find.
Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork: I can’t stress this enough which is probably why I’m switching jobs right now. The paperwork in a preschool classroom is too overwhelming for me to handle. Home visits, child screenings, written observations of fifteen to twenty children everyday…all of this can be extremely tiresome. Add to the fact that you have to do lesson plans and continue to observe and interact with the children on a daily basis…well, there’s your answer as to why there are teachers leaving the Early Childhood field for good.
Directors, Administrators and other people who literally have no idea how Early Childhood Education Works: This can be a challenge as well. There is a reason why I decided to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Administration. There are reasons why I decided to take more online classes in this field—so that I can learn what’s happening in the field right now. Sometimes, I have to take a deep breath when they tell me how to do my job even when they don’t have enough qualifications, experiences, or knowledge to do so.
Overall, I had more cons than I did pros number wise but for me personally, I think the pros has more weight than the cons at this point because I would rather go to work knowing that I’m getting a paycheck every two weeks than to keep writing knowing that my next paycheck won’t be for a couple of months. Therefore, I think I’m going to continue to do the two things that I love until the day I retire (although I don’t think I will ever retire from writing).
Dominique Gibson
