Free at last!

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I'd been thinking about leavng my boring (but not in a good way) government job pretty much since I started oiver 2 years ago. I figured I'd leave when my contract ends in September, on the assumption that I might be able to qualify for unemployment.

Fortunately (in my twisted mind) they decided to lay me off at the end of March. I'm excited, but now I'm sort of confused abut how to use my newfoud freedom. I know I need to write but I don't know what to do with myself to get there.

Part of me wants to try to earn a living from freelance writing, even though there are a lot of stressful elements to that, like having to interview people and pretend to care about what's hip right now as far as pitching stories goes. It's a bit like prostitution, that you have to write stuff you may not enjoy to pay your rent, which might totally suck the fun out of it. Another part of me thinks I should try to find some kind of "job" job, some financial stability so I can focus in my free time on writing the things I really want to write, like novels. There are jobs out there that I think I could enjoy (just not the job I do right now), but they could also suck away the energy I have for writing.

So confused about what to do next. Maybe the secret is just to try to get unemployment and use that to buy the time to decide what step to take. Anyone been in a situation like this?

I'm a bit of a freelance writer in addition to a college student, but since writing has earned me little, if any, money, I'd probably reject that path.

as musicians are often told, don't quit your day job... honestly, having a reliable source of income lets you pay for things like training, things you do on the side, for fun, etc. Plus, it looks like we're going into a recession, and having lived through a few, you'll find jobs are a lot harder to get during one.

Start looking now, so you have a place to jump once you're pushed. It's a rough world out there, and you're the best person to look out for yourself.

City bums begging out on the streets often garner more income than freelance writers. Prepare to get the short end of the stick when it comes to basic privileges like health care, personal savings, retirement funds, etc. The workload will be through the roof, and without good contacts there's very little job stability. You'll have to spend more time promoting yourself and networking than writing. Your social life may suffer, and it will likely be difficult to get into more secure jobs later - many employers don't take freelancers seriously.

Other than that, it's great. You get to work on your own hours, enjoy creative freedom, and build piñatas out of rejection slips and bubble gum.

Hi,
Yeah know how you feel i am abaout to take the plunge and leave my job, have already told one of my bosses that I am leaving just need to tell the other one. Am handing my resignation in officially to today to both of them. Was a long hard decision but it will be worth it in the long run I think.