Hey everyone.
Here’s my deal. (Fairly) recent college graduate who interned most of 2008 for a prominent NYC fashion designer (in PR and assisted the designer himself). From there, started freelance writing for fashion and lifestyle publications. Only 8 months in, I’m doing well: currently writing regularly for THREE top fashion/cultural glossies, one of which I was recently named a top online contributor. I’m only 23, so of course, I’m excited and enthusiastic that this is going so well already.
Of course, there are downfalls.
#1 I still, technically, live at home (in a “well-regarded” yet boring NJ suburb about 45 mins from NYC) and while I am 110% mentally ready to move to NYC, I am not there financially. And unlike my more monied peers, I refuse to make my parents pay my rent and I need to make more money before I can afford to do it myself, even as a roommate.
#2 The distance/living situation is becoming a real geographical inconvenience both socially and professionally. I’m often assigned to attend events in NYC (several per week), meet with interview subjects, go to parties, etc. Sounds fun, right? It is, but commuting is a hassle and pricey (yet, though a burden, still currently more tenable than the costly move to the city, though I’m reaching the end of my tether!). Additionally, I feel isolated from my growing NYC media network because I can’t be “on the scene” as often as I would like. I tell everyone I’m moving to Manhattan ASAP, or that I’m between apartments and staying at my parents til early Spring (my ideal moving date). So far, that’s working, but the reality is the sooner I move to city, the sooner I can really up my game as a writer/”media fixture”. And socially, my current living situation is very alienating: I have nothing left in common with those who remain in my hometown, and yet I never feel as connected to my NYC friends and colleagues as I would like. I guess it’s a situation akin to living on campus vs commuting, but in a professional context.
#3 The excitement and credibility that comes for writing for the publications I work for is NOT commensurate with what I get paid. I would wager that my current writing income is slightly better than what many upstart writers make, but quite bluntly, it is not enough, and I predict it will be some time before I make enough as a writer to pay all of my bills.
All this said, the solution is obvious: I need an alternate way to make money. However, there are limitations to what “moonlighting” jobs I can consider.
- I cannot “do” retail/waiting tables etc. My writing/event schedule won’t allow for it, and, moreover, it would be quite awkward to run into people I know professionally in a “service” position. Unfortunately, the irony is that while I am still a “new face”, I’ve come to know A LOT of people in the downtown media crowd very quickly, and my professional image must be maintained in my encounters with them. It’s a game I have to play! I can’t be serving drinks to a fashion designer I just profiled, you know? If I wouldn’t be recognized, it wouldn’t be such an issue. (I worked retail as a student, so trust me, I’ve been there!)
- I’ve considered taking on freelance copyediting work as a way to supplement my income. What is the best way to go about initiating this as an extension of my “services”? Will my journalistic clips/credentials serve as a good background for taking on clients who need editing work?
- The most obvious solution — GO ON STAFF! — is a prospect I welcome, but don’t foresee happening in the near future. Also, I actually sense that, if I play my cards right, freelancing will work better for me in the future.
- Ideally, I need a “discreet”, decent paying, not entirely soulless day/side job. This would include taking on part-time, flexible hours as an assistant/associate at a media firm/company or art gallery, etc. And fortunately, thanks to my constant vigilance, I do see jobs like this come up every week or so and I’m currently applying to one as I type this. Some of these odd jobs require only 2 days a week, but can pay $1,000 per month! This type of scenario is perfect for my schedule, discretion, and budget needs.
So, while I have narrowed down the ideal ways I can supplement my income through “incidental employment”, I’m open to more suggestions. I’d also love to know more about how the rest of you make ends meet (without doing retail etc), and I’d also like to hear if any of you have done copywriting on the side (and I don’t mean Associated Content/bottom-of-the-barrel SEO type gigs).
Sorry for the lengthy post. I’m eager to hear any other enterprising ideas for making side money as a writer. Dog walking? I’ve considered it. ;)
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The best jobs for writers are ones that you create
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You do have a few
You do have a few options.
1) Waitress for a nice restaurant/bar in NYC or in your home town.
2) Babysit on the weekends
3) Offer to help clean homes on the weekends
4) Split a studio apartment with one or two friends = makes the rent cheaper. If you don’t have friends who are willing to do this, put in ad on craigslist and around the city, which gives you the opportunity to interview/meet with people who you feel get along with you, etc.
5) SAVE UP MONEY - obviously if you are currently writing for 3 magazines you must be getting paid something. Stop buying stuff and save your money. You just graduated from college for dear sake, so take at least a year, save up, and then decide to move to the city. It’ll be there as always when you’re ready.
God, I thought I was the
God, I thought I was the only one who thought the post was a bit snobbish. I guess not.
Your whole tone about the
Your whole tone about the ordeal is very egotistical and snobbish. Just look at some of the words you use. “Menial”? Let’s hope you’re never in a position where you absolutely HAVE to take a “menial” job to pay your bills and survive. From the description of the people that you’re surrounded by (provided that it’s even accurate. I wouldn’t doubt if you were trying to save face), it sounds like you’re in similar company, which is good.
For the record, yes, I do speak as someone who does retail part-time to help support what I want to do. Can I get a better job? Absolutely, but right now this leaves me the flexibility to pursue what I want. All that said, I hope you find what you’re looking for.
So, you’re looking for a
So, you’re looking for a maximum-paying, minimal-commitment job?
Isn’t everyone?
IrockIroll is right - I don’t see how living with your parents in NJ (oh, the horror!) is less embarrassing to you than working in a “service” position in NY. If you really want to succeed, you’ll do whatever it takes. Put your pride away, start working, and stop whining.
God. You’re obnoxious and
God. You’re obnoxious and make me stabby.
I guess I can take solace in the fact that you’re still living at home. Which is probably as rep-ruining as not having the courage, smarts, or tenacity to put up with a second job to live in the city.
Yeah, that was me
I tell everyone to do it; I can’t believe more people don’t. Busting my ass in a restaurant for minimum wage, dealing with customers and spending hours on my feet versus a few hours of sitting on someone else’s couch reading and listening to a baby monitor for $15/hour? No contest as far as I’m concerned. The site I use is Sittercity.com, it’s free and really easy to set up (no, I don’t work for them) and I’ve met a bunch of nice families through it.
thanks.
finally, a considerate response. and a terrific idea!
I didn’t mean to “ruffle feathers” with this topic, although I’m not really surprised at the backlash, as I’m sure many people here ARE doing retail on the side and think I’m trying to bypass a humbling milestone. But as I’ve said, I TOO HAVE WORKED in retail for years as a student. From 16 to 21, actually.
Not only am I sick of it, but unless I get a particularly flexible work shift, it won’t fit into my current schedule very well. I also need to be available most evenings to attend events, so waitressing probably won’t work.
I should mention that part of the reason I have to be quite wary of where I work “on the side” is to oblige the wishes of the some of the people (who are not “up and coming”, far from it) I work for. Since I’m not “behind the scenes” at a magazine, but rather, quite out & about, I have to be mindful of my “public image” wherever I go(their words, not mine!).
So, since there are other options available for part-time employment — some of which I have already explored — I see no reason why I should take on a second menial job that I’ll hate just because other people put up with it. If it absolutely comes down to that, then I will manage, but I’m trying to find a creative way around it and didn’t think it would be such a scandal to ask for other people’s suggestions. As of now, mhckate is the only one to actually offer help, rather than hard-bitten criticism.
So, I thank you for that!
P.S. Since I am indeed leaving my parents’ home in the very near future (even if I don’t have a secondary job lined up right away), my temporary living arrangement has yet to “damage my reputation”. I only graduated a year ago, after all. Few people even know; it’s more just a geographical inconvenience. And I am ready to move on.
Thank you to everyone who
Thank you to everyone who commented on her ego. I thought I was alone thinking she sounds a tad…I guess, “too good”. A lot of very important people wait tables as a side job, especially in NYC— and it is great networking, if in fact you happen to get someone in the editorial or fashion field as your patron. And waiting tables is the easiest job to fit into a busy work schedule, so yes you can “do” it. Short shifts, night shifts, weekends… plus most places are pretty flexible since many waiters have other jobs.
Babysit
I have no experience with waiting tables, not sure if you do, and frankly, it’s hard to get a decent restaurant job in NYC with no experience. Babysitting for $15/hour off the books was more money than I would have made doing anything else, and I could arrange it entirely around my schedule. I make enough money to support myself now and I still babysit sometimes, just because it’s so easy to make money that way. You could also bartend, if you get the opportunity—and don’t worry about your snob factor, plenty of people do it just for fun, especially if it’s at a cool bar.
Freelance copyediting doesn’t work as well as you might think—a lot of them require you to be in the magazine’s office four or five days a week even on a project basis, and it would eat up the bulk of your day. Additionally, as there are plenty of people out there who are copy editors for a living, I’ve found most magazines won’t consider someone without that specific experience.
Babysitting ideas?
Hey mhckate - babysitting is a good idea. I feel like I remember someone on this board saything they used a website to find babysitting jobs. Was it you? If, not, how did you go about getting babysitting gigs?
Um, ego issues much?
Um, ego issues much? Fashion designers know how much journalists make. They know you’re not Anna Wintour-and they know you’re getting paid nothing. With an attitude like yours, you’ll be living with your parents forever.
You really need to let go of
You really need to let go of the idea that you “can’t do” service jobs. It sounds like you need something fairly quickly, and shooting down one of the easiest ways to earn money is silly, especially when the bulk of your reasoning hinges on your image. Most people in this industry start at the bottom and struggle in the beginning doing what they have to in order to make ends meet. Being a waiter, bartender or retail associate part-time is a pretty flexible job and if you are good at the former two, you can make a helluva lot more than you do in some of these media jobs.
it's not as bad as you think.
I’m on staff at a big magazine Monday to Friday and work weekends at a restaurant. I know you think this would be utterly humiliating, but trust me, it’s not. If a source comes in I say something like, “New York’s expensive, yo!” and we laugh about it, because, well, it is… And then I serve him a drink. Sometimes my EIC comes in, and we talk—actually, this constitutes the majority of our interaction since in the office he’s untouchable. It’s actually really pleasant to know him outside of work.
I know you won’t follow this advice because you seem to think it’s below you, but there’s no shame in working retail or food service on the side, not in New York. In fact, i think a second, less glamorous job is a classic part of the New York ascent. People work their asses off to live here—despite the fact that it’d be cheaper to commute from New Jersey.
Hey, thanks for the
Hey, thanks for the reply.
I definitely don’t regard it as “below” me, but I do believe it will create potentially unpleasant, awkward situations and that it will limit where I can go and what I can do at night (and much of my writing entails evenings out). That being said, if it came down to it, I guess I’d figure out a way to do it.
However, I’d prefer to explore every other possible moonlighting avenue first.
Coincidentally, I just spoke to my grandmother who may be willing to finance the “start-up cost” of me moving to NYC for the first few months at least. Even better, I didn’t even have to ask her. So, we’ll see where this leads.
oh just suck it up and waitress, it'll be fine!
You’re lucky! If I suddenly got a magic benefactor to finance my life in NYC, I would be pumped.
If gran’s money runs out, the best way to earn enough significant money is to waitress. No way around it. I happen to be a horrible, incompetent, clumsy, frazzled waitress. Tried for years and thinking about it gives me heart palpitations. I have so much respect for the job, and since many successful artists, writers, celebrities and hell, executives, started off waiting tables, I think it’s a commonly held appreciation.
To be honest, living at home identifies your young age/inexperience significantly more than a service industry job. Anyone who looks down at a fresh-faced, eager 23-year-old woman because of her service job is most likely an entitled brat him/herself, and nobody likes people like that anyways!
It won’t be as bad as you think, so don’t be scared - just remember one thing: WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE!
dallasanouk