A few years back, people thought I was out of my mind for quitting my job as a financial analyst to pursue blogging full-time. To many, my blogging side hustle seemed like a hobby, not a real business. They thought I was crazy for leaving a stable job that I went to college for, considering it wasn’t secure enough.
I understood their skepticism. Most people didn’t know what a full-time blogger was or how one could make a living online. The idea of earning money through blogging was baffling and led to many questions and doubts. As a result, we received numerous lectures about money from coworkers and bosses who thought we were giving up on a stable career for an “easy” way out.
I had a well-paying day job with benefits and yearly bonuses, and I could have stayed there indefinitely. But it just wasn’t for me. Behind the scenes, my job felt like it was draining the life out of me. While many people don’t love their jobs, I could barely stand mine and dreaded going in every day.
This isn’t a post telling everyone to become a blogger. Instead, it’s about improving your life if you’re feeling unhappy, stuck, or lost. I was miserable and thought that was just how life was supposed to be. But it turns out, life didn’t have to be that way.
I started my blog, Making Sense of Cents, almost six years ago. Since then, I’ve earned over $2,000,000 from it, with over $1,000,000 just in 2017. But it didn’t start that way. I created the blog on a whim after reading about a personal finance website in a magazine. Initially, it was just a hobby to track my personal finance progress. I had no intention of making money online and didn’t even know it was possible.
My interest in blogging grew, but it was still just a hobby. I wanted a space to write about my finances, have a support group, and track my progress. After six months, I started making money from it. A friend from the blogging community connected me with an advertiser, and I earned $100 from that deal. That was the beginning of my journey to making extra money online.
By the summer of 2012, a year after starting my blog, I was earning about $1,000 a month. By the next summer, I was making around $10,000 monthly. That’s when I quit my job to blog full-time. Even though $10,000 a month sounds like a lot, I had business expenses, high taxes, and other costs. Plus, being a business owner is unpredictable, and I didn’t go to college for this.
However, I believed in my side hustle and knew it could grow. I felt it was the best decision for me and still do.
Once my side income surpassed my day job salary, it became hard to stay motivated at my job. I knew that if my side hustle grew more, it wasn’t worth sacrificing my happiness for a job I didn’t enjoy. I could have continued working both jobs, but it was draining to work over 100 hours a week. So, I chose Making Sense of Cents.
Before blogging, I never thought about it. But now, after six years, I can’t imagine not blogging. I love helping others improve their finances, reading posts from others, and writing. I enjoy waking up to work and no longer dread it. Blogging is both challenging and rewarding, with always something new to learn and a wide reach.
I also help others through my blog by sharing new ideas and helping them improve their finances and manage their lives better. I’ve received many emails from readers saying I’ve helped them, which makes it all worthwhile.
Being my own boss is another perk. I decide my business type, schedule, goals, and more. With my day job, I didn’t feel in control, even though I was a good worker. Now, I feel more in control and can create a flexible schedule that works for me.
My business also allows me to travel full-time. At my day job, I had 2-3 weeks of vacation, but work would pile up while I was away. Now, I can go on vacation whenever I want, even though I work more than before. I have a better work-life balance and control over my schedule.
I saw others around me hating their jobs and didn’t want that for myself. I saw the opportunity my blogging side hustle gave me and took it. I wanted to do something different, hoping it would work out because anything was better than my current situation.
It wasn’t fair to the company I worked for either. My heart wasn’t in my work, and it wouldn’t have been fair to continue working there. The job was stressful and repetitive, and I wasn’t improving the world in any way. By quitting, the company could find someone more suited for the role.
I dreaded Sundays and Mondays because of work. Sundays were awful because I knew I had work the next day, and Mondays were stressful because I had to go to a job I hated. There was no social life at the company, and I worked independently.
Since switching to freelancing full-time, I look forward to every day. I enjoy working for my clients and have a better social life, talking to other freelancers, friends, and family.
There are many reasons why I decided to leave my day job. It’s been about four years since I made the switch, and I can’t imagine still working at my old job. Blogging is definitely for me, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.
Not everyone should become a blogger, but the point is to find what you love if you’re feeling stuck or unhappy. Do you have a side hustle? Do you enjoy your career?