HGG Community Forums

wow, heartbreaking to hear someone with a degree in chemistry asking about cooking jobs.
I wish you the best.

@Treble ; alot of restaurants in big name hotels look for chefs on a regular basis, same with cruise lines, also you can try the smaller more exclusive resorts in "season" for vacationers ( think Colorado for skiing season and stuff like that)

You really don't need a degree to become a freelance writer. You just need some skill, self-taught is fine, and an interest in a particular niche to focus on. Actually, sometimes a degree in academic writing can hurt you as a content writer because business managers think that will mean stuffy copy-writing. I think we talked a bit about this a year or so ago, and I thought about mentioning it again when I saw your post because my freelancing journey has come along quite a bit over the past year. Over the past four years, I've done both the "stick it out and see" and the "draw the line and don't compromise it" and strangely, even though I thought I'd be making a sacrifice in income by turning down jobs that aren't worth it to me, actually the opposite has happened.

A few months ago, I had a beta-reading job that really bothered me. I finished it anyway because I needed the money and I was already halfway through by the time I was really struggling with it, but that hurt has stuck with me. A few weeks ago, I had another job that ended up with some major "scope creep" (that's when it starts out supposedly just an editing job and after the price is agreed on and the project is started, the client wants full ghostwriting and research). Again, I stuck with it because I'd already invested time into the project and I needed the money. I told myself, "some money is better than no money." But that was a very demanding and ungrateful client and the experience was very stressful. I made major personal sacrifices to please them, went days and nights without eating or sleeping to meet changing deadlines, and suffered a painful loss right at the end (I was unable to be with a beloved pet as he was dying because I was working.) I've only recently been able to think about it without crying.

Since then, I decided to draw some concrete lines and stick to them without guilt or doubt that maybe I'm hurting myself or being too sensitive. I decided on a strict per word rate that's actually close to going rate, no more free samples but instead pro-rate samples that are deductible from the whole project should the client decide to go forward, no more working with content I find traumatic, and also decided I will always take a couple hours off in the evening to relax or work on my own projects. I thought the sacrifice would just be worth it for my own well-being, but it actually paid off for my business as well. I'm making twice what I was on individual gigs as I was last year, and I'm working on projects that I actually enjoy and aren't causing me emotional or physical stress. When I don't land a gig because I'm asking too much money, I just remind myself what I decided is worth it to me and what my past experiences have been every time I compromised that. Now, when I don't land a gig because I didn't come down in price, I think, "Great! Now I have that time back to sell for a higher amount or even use for my own projects."

Here's my only advice: Decide what things are worth it to you to sacrifice and what things aren't, and actually write that down and put it up somewhere you can see it. Whether it's a particular pay rate or particular jobs you won't do, and whenever you feel doubt that maybe you should make a sacrifice and try it, just remind yourself of what you already decided. Then you don't need to feel guilt or doubt about each decision because you already made the decision. It works both ways too. If your job is temporary just to build up a nest egg and the money is worth it to you, remind yourself of that whenever you feel doubt about the work itself. It cuts down on stress and uncertainty a lot when you know why you're doing what you're doing and it's based on sound decisions you've already made. The same thing is done in investing money and it goes just as well for your time and efforts as well. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps in some way. :)

Update time: I got a job as a CNC programmer and will start the Monday after next. I applied last week Thursday, went in to talk on Monday, and I walked out with an offer, much to my surprise. I'm excited and nervous, as it's a new thing for me. The overall vibe of the place is better than the other one, and it's better-organized, so I will have tasks to do, rather than just wandering aimlessly and watching others do stuff. There also is a better plan of training, and operations look like they won't be of the tedious factory type. I like being able to change things up once in a while at work. I'm a gentle soul despite having a serious face, and due to factors in the environment, I'm thinking that there will be less vulgar language at the new place. CAD and computer modeling have been back-burner interests for a bit, and I am grateful to the guy who hired me for taking me on without extensive software knowledge.
I still am interested in learning Javascript and will try to keep that up, along with a half-dozen other things I like. I likely won't be on here much.