I Quit My Job

Yep, I really quit my job! It was a pretty nerve-wracking experience, and things got pretty complicated and crazy, but everything is finally in place. And I actually quit because of my blog, but not to become a full time blogger (stick with me and everything will make sense at the end!).

This is not your typical full-time-to-freelancer story because things didn’t go according to plan. This post has been rewritten sooooo many times because things kept changing and getting complicated, so let’s start at the beginning and then I’ll talk about all the jobs I’m doing and how I got them!

Why I quit my job

So I had a full time marketing job, and while I enjoyed most aspects of it, there was one aspect that made my job very frustrating and stressful. I won’t go into any details, but it got to the point where it was just making me miserable. I decided to start applying for other jobs just to see what was out there, and I was inspired by people I’ve met through my blog, like full time freelancers and bloggers Jessica Lawlor and Kayla Hollatz, to apply for freelance jobs (and there’s another exciting reason why I wanted the flexibility of freelance jobs, which I hope you tell you about soon!) After many applications and asking around, I had two part time freelance jobs, and I actually got them because of this blog (I’ll go into detail about what all my jobs are in a bit). I’ve already been writing freelance articles for a while now, so the combination of those three freelance jobs were enough for me to quit my job and hold me over for a while until I could get some more work lined up.

So the day after I got back from my trip to Italy, I handed in my notice. It was definitely one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done! But everything went pretty well, and I lined up when my last day would be and started interviewing for more jobs. This is where things get complicated. When I started outlining this post a few weeks ago, it had a pretty different direction what is happening now!

A week before my last day, things got changed around at my job and the one aspect of my job that I didn’t like was no longer part of the equation. So the company asked me to stay. I had already committed to other jobs and was really excited about them, so I couldn’t stay on full time but I agreed to stay on part time to help them out during the transition.

So I am not a full time freelancer like I had planned when I started writing this post. I guess you would say I’m a part time freelancer? I’m not too sure what I’m classified as, but I’m excited about this new chapter in my career!

So what are all my jobs, and how did I get them from my blog?

Like I said before, all of my freelancing work came from my blog, but I’m not a full time blogger. I mentioned previously in my one year blogiversary post that I don’t make any money directly from my blog, but I do make some money indirectly with things like photoshoots and my online photography course.

One of the first freelance jobs I got was actually posted in the Philly bloggers group that I’m in, and it’s writing blog posts for a marketing company for local businesses that they work with. I got it, well, because I have experience writing posts on this blog. I’m not a full time blogger, but writing consistently every week gives me a lot of experience. Without this blog, I wouldn’t have any experience with blog writing. And I wouldn’t have seen this job posting if I hadn’t been in the PHLbloggers group!

The second freelance job I got also includes writing blog posts. It’s with a local business owner that I met through a networking group that I was introduced to by a blogger, and I wouldn’t have met them if I didn’t have this blog. And yes, this is proof that networking works. I will be the first to say that I’m terrible at networking because at my first networking event after college, I was so bad at it that I had to be rescued by a nun. True story! (You can read all about my embarrassing experience here). I’m still pretty bad at networking and I’m extremely introverted, but if I can get better at networking and actually get a job from it, you can, too! (And side note, I’m not one of the lucky people who gets any job I want; I applied for over 200 jobs before I got my first full time job out of college- even with internships, job experience, creating my own major, five minors, and a high gpa, #overachiever. Just be persistent and don’t let rejection get you down!)

For the biggest freelance job, I emailed one of my freelance connections to see if they knew of anyone hiring, and they passed on my resume and information to someone who needed my blogging experience. I’m doing social media consulting and strategy, and I’m using skills and expertise that I’ve gotten from the social media work I do for my own blog. I do have a little previous experience with social media marketing, but most of my experience has come from my blog. I have spent hours researching and implementing strategies for things like posting at the best times, creating Facebook ads, and understanding Google Analytics (which I’ll be using for most of this job). I don’t have a million followers, but I have built up my social media following and increased my page views a TON since I started this blog, and now I get to use that expertise for a job! If I didn’t have this blog, I wouldn’t know anything about social media or Google Analytics or even SEO, but working on my blog has given me so much knowledge and experience.

If you have a blog, don’t just write it off as a hobby if you’re applying for jobs, especially since writing blog posts for companies is an actual job. My blog has given me so many professional opportunities, from networking with other bloggers to understanding SEO to even creating my own online photography course!

I am so excited about all the new work I get to do and the freedom that comes with being a (part time) freelancer. This gives me more opportunity to travel and visit my family for longer trips, especially since I’m the only one in Philly and they’re all spread out from Boston down to Florida. I have some travel plans for this summer in the works, so stay tuned to find out where I’m heading! Plus since I get to work wherever I want, I get to spend more time cuddling with Annika as I work on my couch! 🙂

I still have room to take on more freelance work if you need some assistance (find out more about my experience here), and I will also be taking on more photography clients! Feel free to contact me if you want to schedule a photoshoot or if you need some photo editing help. You can find out more about my writing, editing, and photography experience on my Work with Me page.

If you have any questions, comment below or contact me! I’ll be posting updates on how everything is going in the future 🙂

Check out updates on my freelance life on my new post 7 Honest Things I’ve Learned About Being a Freelancer

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