WRITING
Is Writing as a Profession worth being your Primary Career Choice?
Why most people think of writing as a side hustle, and why I think you should not.
I was on the other side of the table, for quite some time. I used to snicker when my dad or my friends told me that I had a knack for writing and why don’t I consider this as a serious career option. I remember saying these exact words-
“Writing can be my passion, it can be my hobby, but as my main bread and butter? Definitely not.”
My undergraduate self was quite determined to make it big in the shiny corporate world. Because those are real jobs, right?
Wrong.
For months and months, I tried to become as job-ready as possible. I did what every single contender in the rat-race would do- apply for new courses, get fancy certifications, increase your professional network connections, try my hand at various internships…you get the picture.
It all changed when I started writing on Medium. The difference between developing your skillset for months for a hardcore corporate job and writing on a platform like Medium is that, with a platform like Medium, you get to see immediate results for your work. You get that blood rush when you hit publish, you are refreshing the notifications bar every half an hour and you are checking your stats constantly. Writing on such a platform gives you that instant gratification for the work that you do.
But this is not the case with your 9 to 5.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not urging you to quit your corporate job to become a writer. I’m simply giving you a few points to ponder upon about the fact that writing can also become your primary source of income and not just some side hustle.
1. Instant Results
As I mentioned before, writing on a platform like Medium is going to give you the fruit of your hard work almost instantly. You can see the numbers every day and with every increase in the read count or view count, your excitement keeps increasing.
2. Immediate Feedback
This one is self-explanatory. As soon as you press publish, within a few days' time, you are able to judge whether the audience is receptive to your piece or not. You almost immediately get the feedback, which helps you analyze and introspect and work on your future pieces even more. Also, Medium is such a beautiful platform that it has a number of dedicated editors, who take the time out to help you out in the places you can improve.
I’ve personally had the wonderful opportunity of working with Selma, who took the time and effort to give me extensive feedback to make the best out of my piece.
3. Good writers are always in demand
Believe it or not, it’s tough to find the good apples when it comes to writing. Every industry, every company needs a writer, be it content writing for their websites, magazines, newsletters, whatever it may be. Not everybody can write. It is not easy to generate great articles. Hence, good writers are valued everywhere.
4. Showcases your expertise on a topic(s)
In order to write an article or anything, you need to have a certain amount of knowledge on the topic of focus. So if you are going to write about something, let us say, the new trends in the world of business, it gives the readers the impression that you know exactly what you are talking about and you are an expert with regards to this topic.
5. You are your own boss
You get to have the freedom to design your own set of rules and also enjoy your work at the same time. This according to me is a complete win-win situation.
