I’m A Pro Blogger
I had one of those “oh, wow” days today. In being introduced to some new people today, a good friend said the following:
“This is Jeffrey. You won’t believe what he does. He’s a professional blogger…”
The introduction caught me by surprise because while it’s correct to some degree (with a big asterisk since a lot of the income comes from websites that have nothing to do with this little project here), I haven’t really thought of myself that way. I’ve always thought of that as a goal I was shooting for and since the goal included both Nate and I working full time, we haven’t reached it yet. But after our last decision to keep me going at it full time as we continue to grow it, I don’t see me ever going back to doing this part-time.
I also rarely introduce my work as being a blogger on my own. If people ask, I usually revert to saying I sell antiques even though that is definitely a part-time endeavor now.
I think I usually don’t say what I do because it’s difficult to explain in a short period of time to someone who is not familiar with it. Then even when I do explain how it all works, some people don’t get it. I was talking with Nate about it and we both have members of our family that are sure we’re doing something illegal because they still don’t understand where the money comes from. As my sister once said. “OK, let me get this straight. You write whatever you want, whenever you want and get paid for it? And even if you take a month off to play, you’ll still get paid? I want a job like that…”
While obviously it isn’t quite that simplistic and most people don’t know the time and dedication it takes to reach the point where you can work full time writing on the Internet, from the outside I guess I can see how some people view it this way. I think this is the main reason I’ve stuck with the antique seller answer for my work until now.
It was quite strange being introduced that way. I felt both a bit awkward, but at the same time it was also a good feeling…I’m still trying to get used to it. While we are still working toward the goal of both of us working full time (we still have a ways to go), our business plan has been working and we are getting closer month by month. Unless there is some major shift (which can always happen) this is my full time job for the foreseeable future.
And thus I had that, “oh, wow” moment when I realised that this is my current profession. Hopefully I’ll have a long, long time to get used to it…
Interesting typo in the quotation. You might want to fix it.
I think it’s pretty cool to be introduced as a professional blogger. I’d love to do it full time, but I like the security I have currently with my desk job.