Wow, now that is a writing schedule I can admire. Your life makes me tired just thinking about it!

You saying that the radio reporting informs your print writing reminds of something I was talking about with a friend the other day. She’s job hunting and has a very diverse list of experiences on her resume. She was lamenting the fact that, with unemployment in the States so high, all her dream jobs now require 5 years of very specific experience.

We came to the realization though that the most interesting people are often the ones who have jumped around from job to job or industry to industry (or gig to gig, of course). Maybe they don’t work as Widget Polishers for their entire lives, but they generally do get somewhere interesting and they have diverse life experience that can make all the difference in a job or industry that hires pre-trained Widget Polishers straight out of college.

And of course, you public radio reporters get the best of all worlds – you may be reporting every day, but it’s never on the same thing!

Ha! Hiring a neighborhood kid to run your lemonade stand is just hilarious. I remember I used to run a Coca Cola stand (naturally, because I’m from Atlanta) at family yard sales when I was a kid. I made a misspelled sign – “Put me through collige” – so I would get more sympathy sales! Where is that marketing savvy now, I wonder?

And I’m glad my point about how some people want or need an employer didn’t come off sounding wrong or condescending to some ears. Some days I’m like your husband and want to be able to simply collect a paycheck and not deal with the stresses of marketing, invoicing and bookkeeping. Most times though, I’m with you and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Also, I really like your blog. It’s similar to what I’m going for in that it has a lot of good tips for newish freelancers. I’m adding it to my Google Reader. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

I began my freelance writing career because I wasn’t making good money as a part-time college instructor. I had to become fairly proficient at marketing and sales in order to do well in my writing subfield. But at the time I started, my preference was to a full-time college teacher with summers off for travel.

I think I’m perfect for staff blogging. I like having some structure/more stability – plus, the marketing world is a scary place for clueless newbies like me.

Always full of good ideas Jenn!

Kathryn, you make a good case for specialization. If you know something well, then it’s just that much easier to write articles about it. And your time should be valued because you took the time to become an expert in that field.

Good point, Kathryn! Sometimes when I simply don’t feel like writing (and don’t have any pressing deadlines, of course), I use that time to clean out my RSS feed reader, read eBooks I’ve downloaded and generally learn more about the industry. Though I’m not actually writing for billable hours, I’m still learning something and I don’t feel like I’m just wasting the day.