An Experiment
I haven't talked about my job situation here a whole lot lately. This past summer I was working as a temp at a call center. I liked the company well enough, but I had come to hate the job. I spent eight hours a day answering phones, which taught me a few things:
1. People who cannot answer even a simple question without giving a long, drawn out "uhhhh...." as they are thinking are really freaking annoying.
2. I got most of the above from people wanting to call to set up IT certification exams. I've found that a lot of IT professionals are either socially inept or just not very bright.
3. I don't like people.
I guess it's a little harsh to flat out say that I don't like people. I have no problems interacting with people on my own terms. I like to go out with friends, and I'll usually show up at a party if I'm invited and enjoy myself. Then again, that's me interacting with people on my own terms. I will voluntarily hang out with people I like and who share my interests, but I tend to get stressed out if I'm pushed into a situation where I have to interact with people outside of my usual social circles, especially if I have to spend time around a lot of people for an extended period of time. I never saw anything really wrong with this. I'm an introvert, and I always have been. I can spend time all by myself and be perfectly content.
My introverted tendencies really went into overdrive in the last few weeks of this summer. After a day of answering phones and talking to complete strangers from all over the country my stress level would be through the roof. Like most introverts I get burned out if I don't get some time to myself, but I was so stressed out and miserable that I was wondering if there was seriously something psychologically wrong with me.
Anyway, my time at this temp job has come to an end, and while there was talk initially about hiring me on permanently, it didn't happen. Needless to say, I was fine with that. I liked the company quite a bit and would've gladly worked for them on a more permanent basis, but I didn't want to work in the call center. Maybe other opportunities will arise that will let me work there in a different department someday, but as of right now my employment with them has ended on good terms.
Technically, that makes me unemployed once again. I say "technically" because during my free time this summer I have made a concerted effort toward freelance writing. I didn't have as much time to devote to it as I would've liked, but I've discovered that if I spend an entire eight hours a day writing articles I can make about as much money as I was making at my last job. The company where I get most of my freelance work has been growing a lot, and there is rarely a shortage of assignments available for the taking. I've also gotten to the point where I can write shorter articles very quickly. When I really work at it I can crank out a few 350 to 500 word articles in an hour. The site where I spend most of my time pays around $4 to $7 for these short articles, and there are still longer assignments available that pay a lot more. I even occasionally have people contact me directly for orders.
If I can just work from home and spend eight hours a day writing these articles, I think I can do pretty well. I won't be a millionaire or anything, but I think I can at least make about as much money as a typical customer service or office job. I would absolutely love to make something like this work. I enjoy writing, and if I can get paid for doing something that I enjoy that doesn't involve interacting with customers I would be very happy.
My current job situation is currently in what I like to call an experimental phase. I would like to find a way to make a living just on freelance writing, but I also know from past experience that it can be very difficult to do exactly that. I've been devoting my energy to writing and haven't been looking too hard for a "real" job, although I've applied for a few positions. I really want to see if I can make this current situation work, but I find myself wondering if I'm wasting my time. I'm afraid that the work will dry up and leave me looking and feeling like a worthless slacker without a job. I have applied for unemployment just in case I need it, but my goal is of course to go without it.
I'm just wondering if I'm crazy, stupid or otherwise out of line by attempting this. My previous job took so much out of me that I thought I had developed serious social anxiety problems, so working at home by myself for a while would be an absolutely ideal situation if I can make it work.
1. People who cannot answer even a simple question without giving a long, drawn out "uhhhh...." as they are thinking are really freaking annoying.
2. I got most of the above from people wanting to call to set up IT certification exams. I've found that a lot of IT professionals are either socially inept or just not very bright.
3. I don't like people.
I guess it's a little harsh to flat out say that I don't like people. I have no problems interacting with people on my own terms. I like to go out with friends, and I'll usually show up at a party if I'm invited and enjoy myself. Then again, that's me interacting with people on my own terms. I will voluntarily hang out with people I like and who share my interests, but I tend to get stressed out if I'm pushed into a situation where I have to interact with people outside of my usual social circles, especially if I have to spend time around a lot of people for an extended period of time. I never saw anything really wrong with this. I'm an introvert, and I always have been. I can spend time all by myself and be perfectly content.
My introverted tendencies really went into overdrive in the last few weeks of this summer. After a day of answering phones and talking to complete strangers from all over the country my stress level would be through the roof. Like most introverts I get burned out if I don't get some time to myself, but I was so stressed out and miserable that I was wondering if there was seriously something psychologically wrong with me.
Anyway, my time at this temp job has come to an end, and while there was talk initially about hiring me on permanently, it didn't happen. Needless to say, I was fine with that. I liked the company quite a bit and would've gladly worked for them on a more permanent basis, but I didn't want to work in the call center. Maybe other opportunities will arise that will let me work there in a different department someday, but as of right now my employment with them has ended on good terms.
Technically, that makes me unemployed once again. I say "technically" because during my free time this summer I have made a concerted effort toward freelance writing. I didn't have as much time to devote to it as I would've liked, but I've discovered that if I spend an entire eight hours a day writing articles I can make about as much money as I was making at my last job. The company where I get most of my freelance work has been growing a lot, and there is rarely a shortage of assignments available for the taking. I've also gotten to the point where I can write shorter articles very quickly. When I really work at it I can crank out a few 350 to 500 word articles in an hour. The site where I spend most of my time pays around $4 to $7 for these short articles, and there are still longer assignments available that pay a lot more. I even occasionally have people contact me directly for orders.
If I can just work from home and spend eight hours a day writing these articles, I think I can do pretty well. I won't be a millionaire or anything, but I think I can at least make about as much money as a typical customer service or office job. I would absolutely love to make something like this work. I enjoy writing, and if I can get paid for doing something that I enjoy that doesn't involve interacting with customers I would be very happy.
My current job situation is currently in what I like to call an experimental phase. I would like to find a way to make a living just on freelance writing, but I also know from past experience that it can be very difficult to do exactly that. I've been devoting my energy to writing and haven't been looking too hard for a "real" job, although I've applied for a few positions. I really want to see if I can make this current situation work, but I find myself wondering if I'm wasting my time. I'm afraid that the work will dry up and leave me looking and feeling like a worthless slacker without a job. I have applied for unemployment just in case I need it, but my goal is of course to go without it.
I'm just wondering if I'm crazy, stupid or otherwise out of line by attempting this. My previous job took so much out of me that I thought I had developed serious social anxiety problems, so working at home by myself for a while would be an absolutely ideal situation if I can make it work.