Learning the hard way
Well, shit.
Since I have the next 10 days off, I decided that instead of begging for shifts at my bakery job, I'd sit down and reevaluate everything.
It's only midday on Monday, and I'm already headed down an entirely new path.
Journalism is great. Heck ya, love it. But, I guess it was true what aaaallll those people (even my instructors) said. It wont make you rich. In fact, it will barely enable you to make a living, unless you struggle for years or have great talent and great luck. Especially here.
Take Portland, for example. Hmph. I've been looking for work in this field for four months now, and have not even come close to anything. I haven't even had one offer. The "dream" job I'd been chasing recently said that no, the recruiter was wrong: They don't pay $35,000 a year, they pay somewhere between $20 and $25,000. Are you still interested? Yeah.
Freelancing is awesome. For a second there I made about $50 an hour. But what about health insurance? I look at online listings for editors and writers in LA and SF, they have way more opportunities there, but still-- 9 to 5, monday through friday and they won't pay you more than $40,000 without 10 years of experience. Then there's lovely New York, where shitty writing jobs abound, and the cost of living is insane, and you're cramped. And you live in New York.
At one point in my life, not too long ago, I had considered a career in nursing. I'd actually taken all the prerequisites, the microbiology, anatomy, physiology, precalculous, pharmacology, etc.... then I changed my mind.
I'd even been accepted to nursing school, but thought, eeh. I wanna do something else. Something fun that allows me to interact with people in a different way and be creative. I didn't want to be stifled in a hospital for the rest of my life. I thought nursing was the easy way out. The safe way. I wanted adventure.
Well, I got it. Turns out, if I would have stuck with nursing I could be making $50,000 a year, right outta school--in Portland. Hey- that's enough to buy groceries! That's enough to pay off my credit card, bit by bit. In California? According to my nurse dad, Kaiser will give you $75,000 a year.
Anyhoo- my optimistic side is having a hard time right now. It's%2
Since I have the next 10 days off, I decided that instead of begging for shifts at my bakery job, I'd sit down and reevaluate everything.
It's only midday on Monday, and I'm already headed down an entirely new path.
Journalism is great. Heck ya, love it. But, I guess it was true what aaaallll those people (even my instructors) said. It wont make you rich. In fact, it will barely enable you to make a living, unless you struggle for years or have great talent and great luck. Especially here.
Take Portland, for example. Hmph. I've been looking for work in this field for four months now, and have not even come close to anything. I haven't even had one offer. The "dream" job I'd been chasing recently said that no, the recruiter was wrong: They don't pay $35,000 a year, they pay somewhere between $20 and $25,000. Are you still interested? Yeah.
Freelancing is awesome. For a second there I made about $50 an hour. But what about health insurance? I look at online listings for editors and writers in LA and SF, they have way more opportunities there, but still-- 9 to 5, monday through friday and they won't pay you more than $40,000 without 10 years of experience. Then there's lovely New York, where shitty writing jobs abound, and the cost of living is insane, and you're cramped. And you live in New York.
At one point in my life, not too long ago, I had considered a career in nursing. I'd actually taken all the prerequisites, the microbiology, anatomy, physiology, precalculous, pharmacology, etc.... then I changed my mind.
I'd even been accepted to nursing school, but thought, eeh. I wanna do something else. Something fun that allows me to interact with people in a different way and be creative. I didn't want to be stifled in a hospital for the rest of my life. I thought nursing was the easy way out. The safe way. I wanted adventure.
Well, I got it. Turns out, if I would have stuck with nursing I could be making $50,000 a year, right outta school--in Portland. Hey- that's enough to buy groceries! That's enough to pay off my credit card, bit by bit. In California? According to my nurse dad, Kaiser will give you $75,000 a year.
Anyhoo- my optimistic side is having a hard time right now. It's%2
Comments