Officially A Writer

Over the past three days, my articles on eHow have made $0.27.

If this is the deluge, it's proof God has a sense of humor.

NewGrad1040's eHow Profile

And then, the Deluge! (of money...please)

So I sat and dithered for about a week before actually attempting to write and begin my big, bad freelance career. I've been prepared to write for at least a month, and had all the tools at hand last Monday, but I just couldn't take the first step.

I thought, if the economy is bad, it will stay depressed long enough for me to get over myself.

On the day that I decided I couldn't use my Master's degree without wanting to stick my head in an oven, I spent about 12 hours of prime thesis-writing time researching how to make a freelance career work and talking to friends in the business (the quarter-life crisis was hopefully not spurred solely by predefense jitters).

I spent the month following my defense researching my options, like Odesk, Constant Content, and eHow. Who knew that eHow pays people to write for them? I knew that I should probably start with eHow....and thus the dithering. It immediately became obvious to me that I am an expert about nothing, there had to be some catch, and my prime SEO (Search Engine Optimization) skills meant nothing on a website with hundreds of other, similar articles.

And then I found Master Dayton's blog (see link in the side bar), which is chock full of you-can-do-it-! advice. Chastened, I logged onto eHow and found the "Suggested Articles" link. Follow this link to see my profile and read my articles: NewGrad1040's eHow Profile. Suggestions, encouragement, and clicks that earn me money are appreciated.:)

And because I want this blog to be more than me moaning about the state of the economy and my joblessness, I have included the article that planted the idea for this blog and gave me a little hope. Graduate's Brace for Worst Job Market in Years: NPR (Yes, I'm an NPR nerd. Shut up.)

Where Do I Start?

I am a recent graduate of a decent state university and I have graduated into the worst job market in modern memory.

I simultaneously decided that I couldn't see myself pursuing a career in a field that I just spent six years getting two degrees in. When I made this decision, I told people to go ahead and call me crazy, I like adversity.

But the worst economy since the Great Depression? That's some cold, faceless adversity. I was thinking more along the lines of disbelief and mockery from already-salaried friends.

So instead of turning in applications for jobs that, while the odds are slim of being hired, still make my stomach lurch at the thought, I've decided to try freelance writing. Ah, there it is, the mockery I was talking about. I love writing, and the few jobs I had pre-graduation made me rush home from my work as a graduate student looking forward to cranking out some (admittedly) puff pieces. But now I have to turn that odd job into something that will pay rent, my student loans, and allow me to move out of my friend’s spare room.

I've done my research and come to the conclusion that a blog is an incredible tool for writers trying to get their name out there, draw attention to their work, and earn a little padding for their resumes. Maybe I can even get some advice from professionals and people who’ve been where I am.

First things first: I have to actually get started.