Job Responsibilities
I work at home as a free lance writer. Right now, I'm writing a
booklet for members of the National Guard and Reservists who own
businesses and are preparing to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.
I spend my time researching topics and issues that are relevant
to members of the Military and then I write articles about
them. At this point, the rough draft of the guide is almost
finished, so I only spend about an hour or two a day on writing
and research.
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Job Requirements
I have two master's degrees and a bachelor's degree. My BA is
in English; I went to Longwood College (now Longwood
University). Truthfully, while the English program is strong
and the professors are good, Longwood is more geared toward
aspiring teachers than writers. I also didn't feel that the
academic program was very demanding. I was able to get by
without studying a lot.
I went to the University of South Carolina for my master's
degrees. I felt that there was a lot of grade inflation at USC,
although the subject matter, particularly in public health, was
challenging. I thought that most of my professors were good and
I appreciated the fact that most of them knew me by name. I
also got some great internship and assistantship experiences at
USC. I didn't think the workload was too tough, although I was
certainly busy.
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Uppers
I'm getting paid by the job, but if I work out how much per hour how much I'm
getting paid, it comes to just over $100 per hour-- great money for someone who
studied to be a public health social worker. I get to work at home, so that
means no fighting traffic, no dressing up in uncomfortable clothes, no office
politics, and no boring meetings. I also work at my convenience and at my own
pace.
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Downers
I don't get paid benefits. This is a free lance job, so it's
short term. I have to pay my own taxes, and I get paid in two
or three lump sums instead of by the week or bi-weekly. I also
have to work without guidance and sometimes that's pretty
stressful because I don't always know if I'm on the right track.
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Lifestyle
The lifestyle for this job is very relaxed, but only because I'm way ahead of
schedule. If I had a tight deadline, I imagine I would be pretty stressed out.
I communicate with my employers only by email or phone. I don't travel and I
don't attend any social events (at least I haven't been invited to any at this
point). Since I work at home and alone, I can wear whatever I want. I love it,
but the only reason I can do it is because I'm married to someone with a very
steady job.
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Compensation
I'm being paid $7,500 plus a $1,500 bonus if I get the project
done ahead of schedule (and right now, it looks like that won't
be a problem). I don't get any benefits, but I'm married to a
soldier, so that's not a problem. This money is for about 80-
100 hours worth of work.
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Advice to Jobseekers
This is the second time I have worked as a consultant/freelance
writer. The first time I did this kind of work, I worked by the
hour and made less money. I got my first job purely by luck-- I
listed my resume on Monster.com and the company found me by
doing a search. The second job I got because my husband gave my
resume to a friend.
I think that there are a lot of freelance writing jobs to be
had, but it takes luck and timing to land them. Should this job
go well, I believe that another one will be forthcoming--
probably with the same company. It suits me fine not to have a
full time job and be on a payroll. I like the flexibility and
variety I get in my assignments and I LOVE not having to fight
DC area traffic everyday.
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