After six months of blogging, many of my fellow bloggers have dreams of being a full time blogger. Others have dreams of leaving their 9 to 5 and live off their blog or expand their blog empire. I’m here to warn you all, Don’t Quit Your Day Job!
Everything Changes
Last week, I had a lull at my day job. That allowed me to push some of my blog initiatives. However, a strange feeling came over me. One I never felt before. My passion for writing dropped. Why? I was going through an unplanned simulation with my blog being my new full time gig. Everything changed for the worse.
Passion Fades
When your passion becomes your main source of income, it literally becomes a job. With that comes all the downsides of a job. What’s the bottom line? Is my traffic growing? Are my fans and followers growing? Are my connections growing? It’s no longer about doing what you love and expressing yourself. It is now all about the money, moving and shaking, getting to the next level using whatever metric or priority that is important to you.
I almost lost sight of my passion when I focused on AdSense. This reminds me of a dear friend who was lucky enough to own a successful business based on his passion. However, there were some hard economic times where he put in long hours. He confessed, now that his passion is his job, sometimes it feels like he lost one of his passions in life.
Two Passions Are Better Than One
I’m fortunate enough to have a job that I enjoy and am passionate about. What is that phrase? If you love what you do, it really isn’t a job! However, there are days when I just want to take my job and shove it. We’ve all been there. There’s no better way to take the edge off than by working on your other passion, your blog! What’s great about this setup, depending on which passion is having a bad day, you can play one passion off the other. But if your job and your blog merge into one, when you have a bad day at work, you will have lost one of your favorite passions to dig yourself out. Congratulations. Double Whammy!
Chicken Or The Egg
Now if you could rake in like the top bloggers in Yakezie you have nothing to worry about. Income and passion are aligned so you have the best of both worlds. However, if you aren’t there yet, I strongly urge you to think long and hard before quitting your day job. Sorry for the clichés. But the grass is greener on the other side and you don’t know what you got till it’s gone. I believe, just like how we need evil to fully appreciate good. We need our day job to fully appreciate our passions.
Resource: Check out my book on how to negotiate a severance package. I was able to negotiate a six figure severance package after 11 years of work from my company. Never quit your job, get laid off instead!
Updated on 2/10/2015
Hehe! Totally agree Buck! Just because one stock is doing very well, I wouldn’t sell others and put all my money in that stock!
Same applies when it comes to income – diversify!
Yep, I think you’re right, Buck. I think we all see greener grass on the other side, but once we get there, it may just be turf….. or fake grass.
I have often thought about what it would be like to live off my blog, but I’m not even close yet. In order to make it less stressful (and more green – the grass that is), I would make sure that I have more than 2 or 3 incomes. The more income sources I have, the more enjoyable it would be.
Right now, I’m working on writing another eBook. This could be an additional source of income besides my blog. If I could generate some other income as well, then I think I might be ready – and it would still be fun! :)
Great points. If I were relying entirely on my full-time income, I think I would be afraid to make the leap to blogging full-time. But I really have the best of both worlds right now by blogging part-time while I stay home with my kids. My husband has the steady full-time job. :)
I can definitely relate to your sentiment Buck. It’s healthy to have a balanced mix of inteests in life and I think this equally applies to income earning pursuits. To use an investment analogy, diversify, diversify. diversify.
Wonderful advice, Buck. I use my writing time as a mental diversion from my full time profession. They are nothing similar so can provide me with a needed mental break. I also love golf and am passionate about it even though I am not that great but am better than the average golfer. I had a friend who loves golf and turned down the opportunity to own/manage a course because he was afraid it would destroy his love for the game. Seems like a smart call to me.
Good points, Buck! I wouldn’t consider leaving my day job for full-time blogging. Well, I’m not making any money from my blog now anyways, but even if I was, I wouldn’t do it!
Nice analogy with stocks MC! Diversification can be applied to many aspects in life.
Good luck with your eBook Derek! Sounds like you have a plan. Grass is greener on the other side seems to be human nature. If we understand this rather than always act on it, we’ll be better off.
You really do have the best of both worlds Melissa! Glad you found such a reliable and supportive partner. Terrific situation!
You’re absolutely right Hunter! Mixed interest makes for a more well rounded individual. Looks like diversification is the theme for the day!
Thanks optionsdude! I use blogging as a mental diversion as well. Sounds like you have a nice balance going with your golf. Would you consider a golf blog? Your friend did make the right call. I need to remind myself not to get too crazed when I blog. Then I need to find another mental diversion for my mental diversion!
Thanks Dave! Blogging is harder than I imagined when I first started. So many related items like relationship building and marketing. Only the strong survive!
You really touched on something! I don’t think income has anything to do with it. If blogging becomes your main focus, you will treat it like a business. When you own a business, there are jobs you must do to make it successful. Some of which is not fun, but that is true of every business and job.
Hmmm a different way of thinking about it. You are probably right, the minute I consider blogging a job, passion is going out the window!
I don’t ever want my blog to be the main thing I do, b/c I’m afraid I’ll hate it. For example, the site is currently screwy b/c of a cache plugin upgrade which makes the pages all messed up, and your replies not thread to other comments. That’s annoying thx to the plugin.
I’d like to keep blogging as a hobby b/c it’s too fun not to be, and there are much much easier ways to make money.
Best, Sam
W3 Total Cache got you too? I was so frustrated! I didn’t find out until a reader alerted me! Needless to say, it didn’t take long to track it down and disable it. I moved over to a previous caching plugin that I was using before I made the switch.
Yep. Donno what’s up with that plugin.
Can we hear about some of those options?
This is a great post. I totally agree, your passion can become like a job when you focus too much time on it. I like my blog as my hobby. I can make some money, but it is ok if I miss a day. However, if it was my job, I would be spending every waking moment on it, and like Sam, I might just hate it.
Sam hit the nail on the head: there are much easier ways to make money than blogging. The benefit of most money making opportunities is scale–I’m afraid blogging doesn’t lend itself to easy scaling.
The scale is potentially unlimited to the amount of users on the internet… but boy, does it take time.
That said, time is what we have… so if we stick to our sites and building our brand and readership for 5 years, I’m sure many of us will succeed beyond our expectations.
Haha! I agree that blogging shouldn’t be my main income. It’s already hard enough as it is. It’ll be one of my side income and once all that add up to be equal to my bills, then I’m done with the day job. ;)
Hey Buck, Thrilled to see your article here… and so on target. Great reminder that blogging full time is a goal for some, but not all. And, the downside of being a full time blogger is important to ponder.
I completely agree! I’m very lucky that I love blogging, but I also Love teaching. Teaching also gives me lots of vacation time to commit to my blog during my “off-season” – a perfect combination. And yes, I can’t quit my day job since making money blogging takes time…. A lot of time. ;) But it’s great to have lots of interests.
Hey krantcents, you might be right. It’s not even about the income, but turning passion into a job. Quickest way to kill a passion and make it less fun?
That’s why you also hear when looking for a job, do something you love. Makes it less unbearable.
Sorry to hear about the plugin Sam. Maybe the key is to find a bunch of hobbies you love that happen to make some money!
Thanks Kris! In the earlier stages, the blog became a second job and I was not a happy camper. I have things under better control. Never would have imagined some of the mental issues bloggers have to face.
Hey JT. You’re right. Blogging for money is actually quite hard work. When I started it wasn’t about the money, but I couldn’t help but get sucked in by all the monetization talk.
Hey Sam, it sure does. Maybe five years is the magic number. Five years is a little intimidating, but perhaps the hard truth is better to shake out the fly by night players. Saves them time, too. If you are looking to get rich quick, move on.
Hey RB40, maybe the new angle should be blogging, side income, hobby, fun!
Thanks Barb! A lot of people just jump into things without thinking. Good in a way because it is action, but bad because many things, like blogging is harder than it seems.
Sounds like you have a nice best of both worlds scenario, too Little House! Another lesson for young folks, to be driven and find a career is a good thing, but make sure you love what you do and balance yourself with other interests!
“When your passion becomes your main source of income, it literally becomes a job.” This is such an important point. I don’t agree with people who say that money should not be a consideration when blogging or writing — there’s nothing wrong with getting a reward or bonus for doing what you love. HOWEVER, the important thing is that it REMAINS something that you love, and if it turns into a job or duty because you need to do it to put food on the table, then it’s not quite the same! I would love for my site to become a significant source of side income (in one sense it already is, though I’m still small potatoes compared to many of you guys), but at the same time, I wouldn’t want to depend solely on it! Great point about following and pursuing multiple passions as balance is important.
“If you love what you do, it really isn’t a job!” – Oh yes it is! This applies not only to bloggers, but artists as well. We may love what we do, but to do it full time very quickly results in 90% of our time being spent running a business, and only 10% of the time creating the art that we love to do. All it takes is one slow season and a loss of income for things to stop being fun very quickly.
As someone who’s been there – don’t quit your day job! That way you’ve got your survival costs covered, and you can stay stress-free. That’s the only way to keep real inspiration and passion flowing for your work. When it becomes a survival issue, it can be hard to stay passionate about any kind of creativity for very long.
Sad, but true. “Stress – free” is a key phrase. To be able to work on your hobby with no pressure of needing to make an income is a wonderful thing. $1 or 10,000 that month, it doesn’t really make a difference. Of course some pressure is good. However, it’s sad when the business aspect overly dominates.
Sam
Love. This. I followed my passion, and while I don’t regret it, I certainly don’t wake up rearing to go and I don’t love it every day (http://eemusings.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/the-job-that-you-wake-up-excited-for-propaganda/). I do wonder if I end up moving more into the writing side of things, rather than editing, if I will lose the fun in writing, too. I think that doing something you enjoy, or don’t hate, while keeping your hobbies as hobbies is completely legit.
Great article, Buck! And I fully agree. Personally, I see blogging as a path towards stability (well, I would if I could make any real money – hehe). No income is guaranteed, but a little diversification in our income can mean greater security as a whole. That is why i am trying to grow my blog. The more income streams I have, the better!
I would love to blog full time, but then I would have to focus more on the money and not on what I love – sharing ideas. Plus, I do love my day job!
You know, a few people mentioned that in another year or two I should be able to blog full time, but I don’t know if I could stand the pressure…that and the fact that there are many financial implications to working for yourself. Look at Flexo. It took him some time before he decided to go it full-time. I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon, but I’m looking to upgrade my employment. :)
Well said Kevin! Getting a reward for doing what we love, icing on the cake. Using your passion to put food on the table does put extra pressure and removes some of the fun. Hopefully one day we all find our balance!
Hey Michelle. I think it’s really tough for artists. The passion is there, but sometimes the money to survive isn’t. In this case, at what point does the artist call it quits? At what point does the artist swallow pride and take a job to continue the quest? I stand corrected. If you find a job you love doing, that also supplies your basic needs, then it almost feels like you’re not working.
Hey Sam. Here’s to finding our stress free passive income hobbies? This sure is getting complicated! Haha.
I loved your related article eemusings! A good enough job surrounded with some hobbies sounds perfect. Society probably doesn’t like saying “good enough” job. Chasing for perfection I guess it’s motivational, but it actually does set us up for disappointment if not checked.
Thanks Denise! Diversification and multiple income streams. Sounds like a safe plan we should all practice. Grow, grow, grow!
Sharing ideas and a day job you love. Lucky you Robert. Another best of both worlds winner!
Putting pressure on blogging isn’t fun. Upgrading your employment? Good luck and blog about it!
Putting pressure on blogging isn’t fun Sandy. Upgrading your employment? Good luck and blog about it!
Great point here! Thanks for writing this article. I agree that NEEDING blogging as a monetary source would be a different sort of pressure. It would be tough because you don’t have the guaranteed, hourly compensation that you do with a regular job. I think that’s all the more reason to make sure that you have built up your blog to a very significant level before considering quitting your day job.
There is a lot of stuff I just don’t do on my blog because it feels like work. It’s so much easier and more fun to just focus on the writing and forget about the metrics. Like Sam said, there are about a million other ways to make more $/hr than blogging.
You’re welcome Jacob! Good point. Besides the basic blogging pressure we all face, tacking on monetary pressure would almost make blogging a really low paying, high pressured job!
Hey Sandy, thanks for the reminder to focus on writing. It’s easy to forget when almost everyone is talking about monetizing. All in due time?
Nice post, Buck.
I don’t think that blogging full-time for income is sustainable. Even the well established personal finance blogs will become the Dave Ramsey Radio Show of the Internet–what is he going to say next? oh, yeah, that’s right. Save $1000.
I believe that one can only write about getting out of debt for so long before their blog tries a repositioning, which will inevitably turn dedicated readers away. I guess that’s why it is so important to grow a blog with the focus on building a community, not building wealth. Once you have dedicated readers that you interact with, I’m imagining that this is the fuel to keep going, not the income.
People are popping up with personal finance blogs every single day. And SEO is becoming the new thing of the social scheme. Hell, keywords are getting harder and harder to optimize, which means that blogs will get harder and harder to find.
I’m amazed how Trent and J.D. can live full time from their blogs. And they write everyday (though J.D. is allowing more frequent guest post).
Like many have already said, it’s all about diversification.
Romeo
Thanks Romeo! Great points. Community building and not income. Repositioning your blog after awhile. Never thought about that. I am amazed at how many personal finance blogs there are. It’s tricky as everyone can write, everyone has a story, and everyone can learn about SEO, but not everyone can turn their blog into a full time job.
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Although it would be nice to have full time income from the blog, I already know what it feels like to work the blog full time. Because I did it without a choice when I was unemployed! lol It’s certainly nice to be able to plan your own days and tasks but after a while it does become boring unless you have a great support system (like Yakezie) to remind you that it’s all worth it. I’d rather travel the world and blog for fun once I have enough passive income to support that type of lifestyle.
Great points LaTisha! Traveling the world and blogging for fun sounds awesome. Let’s hope we all get there one day!
I’m coming late to the comment party, but I just had to say something. This is exactly what I started to experience when I started to try to publicize my blog. It became more like work & I started losing my passion for writing. I had to back off the PR & just let the writing flow at will. I can now breathe! It’s wonderful again & I will work on figuring out how to do code, etc. a little bit at a time! Fantastic article!
Better late than never! I was hitting a wall myself. No fun, but now that I have things more under control, it’s wonderful again here, too. Good for you. It’s fun learning new things. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Great article there, thank you so much for sharing a food for thought to ponder on to! I am currently thinking about quitting my day job and shift to graveyard work since the hazard pay is really high and with the bonus of the night differential rates but thanks to you I saw the light!
Thanks Lawrence! Glad I could help. Money isn’t everything, right?
Great post. I agree with you. When a hobby becomes your sole source of income, the enjoyment and experience of it changes. I thought about trying to become a full time photographer once and am glad I decided not to because I really think it would have ruined how much I enjoy taking pictures for fun – without any pressure. I work 2 jobs in addition to running Untemplater and although it can be crazy at times, I love it and feel balanced.
Thanks Untemplater! Sounds like you’re in a good place. Two jobs, blog, and photography? How do you do it?
I totally agree. Blogging, when turned into a job would be very boring until you become tired of doing it, then possible hating it. It is really best that you don’t quit your day job. It’s a matter of balancing the day job, and the hobby (blogging).
Looks like we’re on the same page. Hopefully one day our hobby (blog) becomes successful and then we have to decide which road to take. Nice problem to have, but until that time, balance both!
Very interesting and timely post as many of us Yakezie members are increasing our success. I know personally that the business side of my blog has begun to take over; I’ve had several thoughts about the amount of time I am spending on selling ads versus the amount of time I am devoting to what I actually enjoy–writing.
How long did you put in before the business side started taking over? Balancing your time is key. Congrats on your success!
I started my Chronicle blog in March 2009, and then my regular blog in July 2009. The business side really began last September 2010 and started taking over in the last four months. Balance is definitely key!
Hi Amanda, thanks for replying. I’ve seen other posts saying how much time you need to put in to your blog. Is it safe to say, 6 months to see if blogging is for you and over a year to see some potential business opportunities?
I think that is definitely safe to say.
Buck, what percentage of your day job income would it take for you to quit your day job and focus on your side job full-time? Or, would you just do both forever?
Great question Sam! Stuck between a rock and a hard place. My gut reaction would be 100%. However, after some thought, I would be doing both forever! Perhaps I need to do a self analysis and find a more realistic percentage. Also, to get to the next level, I figure more hard time and work would be required, too.
I’m guessing it’s challenging for you and The Financial Blogger because you both do quite well offline. It will be difficult walking away and leave that income or a big chunk of it on the table. Did you ever find your percentage to make you quit your day job?
Buck, I think it’ll have to be a combo for me. I’d like to have X amount of liquid assets in the bank to basically retire and live off the interest and dividends + I’d like to make at least 30% of my day job income before I quit.
My personal target is to put 20 years into my career before I make a decision to change. 20 years is good enough imo, but I’m afraid when the time comes, I won’t be able to give it up! Hence, I would probably need to make 100-200% of my day job income to really quit since I enjoy it like you!
Secretly, I’m kinda hoping I STOP enjoying my day job so much, but who can control these feelings?! :)
Sam
No you can’t control these feelings and be thankful your are in such a lucky position. Nice that you have your numbers sort of figured out. Perhaps I need to do the same to make a more informed decision. Just enjoying the ride so far!
[…] Either way, as bloggers, we should all see if we can do this full-time at some point without quitting our day jobs until we’re absolutely certain. We may never transition, but it’ll be nice to say we […]
certainly agree that one shouldn’t jump the trigger…but don’t you think it would be nice to be job optional? or determine what job you want to work in/at and when w/o having to worry about finances?
Job optional would be great! Until we can get to a point where the job can be optional, I suggest running a job and a passion in parallel. Too often, people take the plunge and before you know it, they are burning out or lose some of their fire for their passion. Know what works for you because one could easily say, if you don’t fully take the plunge, you will never get to job optional! What works for one, could turn out horribly for another.