I never thought of myself—and my writing—as investments until recently.

Deviating from the plan

My parents are boomers. From a young age, I knew my job was to go to college for four years, get a “real job” that came with financial security, and get married. As my love of books and the desire to write one of my own began to grow, I came to realize all the things my parents wanted for me were likely not in my future.

After leaving for college fresh out of high school, I found myself in an abusive relationship, dropped out of school, and had a mountain of credit card debt. When I finally left my abuser and returned home to live with my parents, I was twenty-two with 32 credits, no real job experience, and I was in collections.

Revisiting the plan

It was clear that if I was ever going to get my life together, I needed to embrace my parents’ plan. So, I got a part-time job at Barnes & Noble, finally got my drivers license, and enrolled in community college. Once I finished my associates degree, I transferred to state school and got my bachelor of arts degree.

I did something else, though—I buried my dreams of being a writer. My degree was in Multidisciplinary Studies (a fancy way of saying Liberal Arts), with a concentration in Technology in Society and a Writing Minor. I started working nine-to-five, I was whittling down my debt, and I was even seeing a guy.

Life seemed to be as it should—I was “on track.” But as the days passed, my “track” felt more like a loop. A predictable cycle that seemed to be endless and made me more miserable by the day.

Investing in myself

I was working in an office, and I remember my coworker coming to my cube and saying, “Ohmigod Lauren! It’s THE BEST day! There are bagels in the conference room and they got the good cream cheese!” Now, there’s nothing quite like a Long Island bagel, but I knew then and there this wasn’t the life I wanted (even though I currently work in an office that also gets excited about food). I wasn’t happy punching a clock, answering phone calls, and going through the motions of nine-to-five-dom for my parents’ sake. This wasn’t who I was.

I quit the next day and made researching, applying to, and writing my entrance sample for graduate school my full-time job. My parents thought I was crazy. When I told them I wanted to go to school for writing, they were like, “But haven’t you already gone to school?” You should have seen their faces when I explained an MFA was a terminal degree which wouldn’t offer career advancement in a conventional sense.

There were times I thought I was crazy too—after all, there seemed to be a lot of risk involved: there was a high probability I wouldn’t be accepted, there was no guarantee of publication, and I hadn’t been writing seriously for a while. Suffice to say, I was rusty. Not to mention I would be taking on more student loan debt, and I wouldn’t graduate until I was in my early 30s. But deep down, I knew this was right.

Taking the risk

Toxic positivity is real, not being realistic when it comes to big life decisions can be dangerous, and it’s not always easy to believe in yourself. But the thing is, if you invest in yourself, you will never be disappointed in the return. Am I in more debt that I’d have liked? Yes. Was I nervous it was a huge mistake? Yes. But am I living my dream and would I have done it any different? Absolutely not.

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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In an episode of Sex and the City, Carrie says she used to buy Vogue instead of food because it “fed her more.” But for those of us who don’t have a column that somehow pays for designer shoes and a one-bedroom on the Upper East Side, the reality is we eventually want to stop depending on variations of instant noodles as our main source of sustenance. Yet with tenure-track positions going the way of the dinosaur and the ever-changing landscape of the publishing industry, how does one actually avoid becoming a starving artist?

This was one of the questions I thought my MFA program would answer. On the first day of class, I was surprised when I wasn’t handed a copy of How to Make It as a Writer, complete with a step-by-step guide on how to secure an editing position and a book contract. I was even more surprised as graduation inched closer and I still had no leads on a job.

Unlike most of my cohort, I didn’t have my sights set on a professorship. Even though adjuncting is where most of us start, I needed a gig with health insurance, a 401k, and – if possible – paid time off and sick days. As I went on interview after interview, I realized the two semesters I spent reading submissions for the literary magazine didn’t even qualify me to read the slush pile at any publishing house. Today, I’d like to share some tips that might help you find a career path and be a writer.

Think Outside the Classroom

Many MFA students have dreams of securing professorships post-grad. However, an even larger percentage of MFA students consider teaching to be their only option. For those seeking full-time employment, an adjunct position may not be the best fit.

Websites like Upwork, FlexJobs, and others allow writers to look for remote writing gigs. Additionally, some sites allow you to set your freelance rate to make sure you’re making the most of your time and effort. Additionally, websites like Patreon allow writers to capitalize on their editing, teaching, and other writing talents in a new and innovative way.

That being said, fields like marketing, web development, and advertising are always in need of writers to help get clear and compelling messages to the masses. 

Job vs. Work Mentality

During one of my job searches, a writer friend of mine said to me, “Why are you so stressed? This is just your survival job. Your real work is your writing, and you can still do that while you look.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had to change the way I thought about my job and my work. 

The culture of America fuses together your identity and your job – you are what you do. Whenever I meet someone, “What do you do?” is usually one of the first questions I’m asked, or that I ask someone else. As a society, we think this knowledge somehow tells us everything we need to know about a person.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to think of my 9-to-5 not as my job, but as my survival job. It’s the thing I do to keep the lights on, food on the table, and pay for WiFi. It’s not who I am. My work – my real work – is the endless number of post-its with “great ideas” all over my apartment. It’s the open Word doc I occasionally flirt with and never make time for. It’s the ever-growing TBR pile in the corner by my bed.

You Got Skills

Two of my favorite hobbies are baking and posting pictures of my creations on Instagram. I was surprised when my aunt’s friend DMed me one day asking how much 100 cupcakes for her daughter’s bridal shower would be. I gave her a quote, and was able to pay more of my student loan balance that month.

Think about the things you’re passionate about – whether it’s baking, reading (yes, there’s a market for bookstagrammers and paid promotions!), or underwater basket-weaving – it is possible to turn your hobby into an income source. 

FInal Thoughts

Often, writers tend to think that if they’re not teaching, editing, or otherwise connected to writing in their work lives, their writer card is somehow rescinded. Just because you’re not punching in and out of a writing-based job Monday through Friday doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. So start thinking outside the classroom, alter your thinking when it comes to being what you do, and consider ways to capitalize on your other talents.

LAUREN J. SHARKEY is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. After her birth in South Korea, she was adopted by Irish Catholic parents and raised on Long Island. Sharkey’s creative nonfiction has appeared in the Asian American Feminist Collective’s digital storytelling project, First Times, as well as several anthologies including I Am Strength! and Women under Scrutiny. Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel, and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee. You can follow her at ljsharks.com.

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