Been thinking about where do I go from here, as far as income-producing activity. Too many options lock me up, although I know too many options is a better place to be than too few.
Those options include:
- Build up Pixel Currents, add content and services, get out there and market myself like mad.
Pro: I love playing with the WordPress platform and working with other people on their blogging projects. I have experience and a proven track record. I’m proud of what I’ve done so far.
Con: Not so great at marketing myself and self-promotion. I’m happy to promote others but still have a hard time pushing myself. Expanding services could help increase client base but could also send me into unfamiliar/uncomfortable territory. - Start a new blog on one of two topics that I’ve got brewing in my head. One is already out there, but on hiatus- I was off to a good start but then got sidetracked. (Just realizing that I stopped writing there right about the time I joined Twitter. Coincidence?)
- Look into tying my blog ideas into existing blog networks (if any are interested) rather than try to go it alone.
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around SEO, SEM, & other acronyms that could make me money as a blogger. Would be kinda cool to just write and get a paycheck. - Start a different at home business, with a more local focus.
I have a couple ideas. There are definitely niches to fill around here. But there’s also a social hierarchy thing I’m not sure I want to mess with. ‘Nuf said about that. - Get a Real Job.
I should probably move this to the top of the list. But a Real Job doing what? I’d happily work retail again. I can honestly say I enjoyed it. And it just so happens that the local Apple Store is looking for Mac Specialists! I’d love to help sell Macs to non-typical Mac customers. Grandparents & empty-nesters need Macs! But retail = lousy pay.
I’m sure I’d love and be amazing at lots of jobs. I can even work in a cube (even though when I left my last Real Job just prior to giving birth to son #1 I swore I’d never work in a cubical again.) But how do I get people to look past the 18 year employment gap and see the skills and smarts I can bring to the table? In reality, that’s crazy hard. I really wish I’d studied something a little more business-friendly in school. If I were to go again I’d major in marketing. But at this point, I’m not interested in an education do-over.
So there are some of the paths I can take, out there for the world (at least the small portion of it that reads this blog) to see. It already helps me to see them all laid out like this- in fact maybe I won’t even post this.
Ah, who am I kidding, of course I’ll post it. Feedback (and job offers) welcome!
9 Comments
like you say, it’s good that you laid it all out like this. i’m faced with similar choices and none of them are easy!
Good luck in whatever choice you make. Whatever it is you’ll be GREAT at it!
Try taking a strengths assessment (ie strengthsfinder 2.0), figure out what you;re best at, and do the thing that maximizes your natural talents the most!
Whit
There are lots of ways now to build online/home businesses that might appeal. You could do virtual personal assistant work like @chelpixie, and/or bundle that in as one of the services you offer.
You could do pay-for-blogging writing for sites that appeal to you, or find sites that pay their bloggers a stipend for their efforts.
You could build in affiliate marketing into your model, such that you build sales to certain niche products that appeal to you (@cspenn would tell you that any affiliate program dealing with money like loans or credit is lucrative).
Keep your head open and you’ll see something that appeals, and that you can push hard against to get momentum.
You have fans!
Boy Annie,
PixelCurrents sure looks promising. It plays to your strengths, you clearly have a passion for it, and there is a lot of demand.
Why not start a blog on using WP but aim it at a specific niche. It seems like you are targeting small business — boy do they need WP!
If you really focus on that one project and also clearly define a niche, I think you could have all the work you could handle.
Who want’s a “real” job anyway?
Good luck!
Doug
You do have some great options! Looking at what you’ve done with the wordpress blogs, and the CSS skills you’d have to have for that, I’m guessing you can probably find contract work doing front end/GUI development. A lot of that type of work is virtual, as long as you can show a portfolio of what you’ve done there’s work out there that may be junior level, but it will pay WAY better than any retail might! That, and if you do that for a year you can probably get into some pretty decent wages. IMHO. I’m sure you’ll rock whatever you do!
I think you are on to something with the Apple Store thing. Just because it’s retail doesn’t mean it’s low pay, plus you have the added perks of being an Apple employee and all that brings with it - including discounts on hardware/software.
Moreover - you might make contacts with other creative professionals through working there, because that is a big portion of who comes into Apple stores to begin with. Maybe you could do it part time and see how it goes.
–*Rob
Wow! Thanks everyone for the insights and suggestions. And the kind words. As I said, confronted with many options I tend to freeze up (this is nothing new, been this way my entire life!) My next step is to choose a direction and move forward. By 5pm today!
I’m excited to have some new visitors as well (h/t to Chris Brogan’s tweet last night!) Thanks for reading!
Skip the real job. Go with your heart and promote yourself!
Golly, those other people really sound as if they know what they’re talking about! Personally, I’m still happy with my very part-time “real” job. I enjoy blogging, but lack the motivation to pursue it for pay. If someone actually knocked on my inbox and offered me a paying gig, I’d probably jump at it, though.