I recently shared that I’ve left my office job to be a “full-time blogger.” I wanted to answer some of the common questions I get about this transition.
A few other posts that might be helpful:
- My No Bullshit Guide to Starting a Blog
- Tips for Starting a Side Hustle
- 9 Things All New Bloggers Should Know
- The Equipment I Use to Blog and Make YouTube Videos
What was your job before?
Hands down the number one question I was asked what was my job before. Some of you didn’t even know I was still working. In 2015 I quit my job in the education profession and started working in Internet Marketing.
Ok, so rewind. Yes, I was a teacher. I went to school for Elementary Education. I taught preschool all through college, then student-taught 2nd grade when in Maine. I was a nanny for 6 months then we moved down to Connecticut and then I got my CT teaching license. Finally, I taught ESL to middle and high school for 3 years. I loved teaching and at the beginning, my plan was to do ESL for a little while and then just be an elementary classroom teacher. But a string of events led to me look for something else. I had begun blogging and really learned a lot about the world of online marketing, so I decided to pursue a job in that field. It was a little more complicated than that, but I’m trying to keep it to the cliff notes.
I didn’t have any experience in Internet Marketing, just my blog. But I applied around and ended up getting a small position at a local internet marketing firm helping to manage their pay-per-click advertising. A month later my boss gave her notice and I was promoted to the team manager. I managed a team of website developers/graphic designers for a few years. Then, I wanted to move out of the managing position to something more marketing-related that would also allow for a little more freedom (like being able to work from home.) My role switched into a Content Marketing Manager position and I did that full-time until Miles was born and then went back 2x a week.
How did you know it was time?
There was too much on my plate, I felt like I couldn’t give 100% anywhere. I was trying to keep too many balls in the air.
Also, I had made a full-time income blogging/YouTubing for 2 years in a row doing it as a side hustle. So, I knew financially I could do it.
How long have you known you were going to blog full time?
Micahel and I have been talking about this possibility for probably about 2-3 years. When I got pregnant with Miles, we started talking about it a lot more. I always wanted to be able to stay home to raise my children, and I knew the income I was making from blogging could probably get me there.
We decided to see if the owner of the company I worked for would be open to me cutting my job back to part-time after Miles was born. It would give me a chance to stay home with Miles more and see if I could supplement the income I wasn’t making in the office. Luckily I worked for a smaller company. The owner was a father himself and understood the need for work/life balance. He also was always really good about making sure my role was one I enjoyed. I talk a little bit more about finding the right job for work/life balance here.
When we realized I could supplement the income I lost from going part-time, we decided it was time to plan for when I would leave my job and we decided on early 2020. It worked out really well because we hired two new positions at my work, so I wasn’t in a place where I was feeling guilty for leaving them.
Will Miles stay in daycare?
Yes. He’ll stay in it for him – because he’s loving it and thriving there. But, he’ll also stay there for me. Truthfully, you can’t work at home and watch a kid at the same time – well at least not if you want to do a good job at both. It just doesn’t happen. You can get work done sometimes, during naps or here and there. But you really can’t have work with deadlines and meetings and also try to watch your kid.
Did you budget in advance?
Like I mentioned, I started by going part-time first so we could see how my income would shift. It was the perfect “test” to let us know how it’d go.
Are you worried about becoming detached from reality since you won’t be going into an office/interacting with people?
I’m not. I stay pretty social on the days I’m home with Miles going to swim lessons, music classes, etc. Michael also works from home full time so I’m never really alone.
I also reached out to a fellow blogger to create a mastermind. We meet 2x a month to set goals, share insights, etc.
What are your worried about most with this change?
Just being my own boss. I’m the only one setting the goals, making the decisions, calling the shots, etc. I want to make sure I stay accountable and get things done.
But, at the same time, being our own boss can go the other way too. I don’t want to over-extend myself or put too much on my own plate. I can be known to have a “I can do it all attitude.” Michael even had to sit me down beforehand and be like, “Listen, just because you’re full-time now I don’t want you to try to take on too much.”
I want to do this too, but never feel like I have time for it.
The time it takes to run a blog often surprises people. The truth is, when you’re a blogger you’re more than just a blogger: you’re a photographer, author, editor, web developer, bookkeeper, manager, PR, HR, marketer….and more.
So, you’re not wrong in thinking it’s time-consuming. I probably put in anywhere from 15-30 extra hour every week. It’s no walk in the park. The way I did it was I worked early mornings (lots of 4:30am alarms). And, I almost always worked weekends, too. Saturdays were pretty much always working days at our house. Part of me quitting my job is so that I won’t always have to work weekends anymore.
If you want more info on my story of how I got into my blogging and my tips for getting started, I have a guide on how to start a blog.
A few other posts that might be helpful:
- My No Bullshit Guide to Starting a Blog
- Tips for Starting a Side Hustle
- 9 Things All New Bloggers Should Know
- The Equipment I Use to Blog and Make YouTube Videos
Will you be posting more content now?!
Yep! So the big thing this gives me is time to create more content. Right now, I have that planned as:
- 2 extra YouTube videos a month including some extras I never had time for like more DITL type stuff
- 3-6 extra blog posts a month- I have SO MANY content ideas I never have had time to write.
- More stuff on IG stories and IGTV – like sitting down to share monthly favorites, product reviews, etc.
- Newsletter – I’ll be sending this 3-4x a month, you can sign up in my sidebar or down below.
It also gives me time to better control the backend of my site. Work on things I haven’t had time for before like making it more user-friendly. Organizing content better. Optimizing posts, etc.!
