So depressed about work opportunities (JAWM)

[SwallowTail]

Three words:

 

Income. Based. Repayment.

 

It makes those big loans a lot less scary.

 

We didn't have it when we got out of school, and it is just as well, as we could (barely) manage our (insanely high) payments on our income, and at least we are getting it paid off (some day), which IBR won't necessarily achieve.

 

However, IBR does make student debt a lot less terrifying when I think of my kids. I won't let them take on undergrad debt, but once they are "grown ups" I won't be able to stop them from taking on big grad school debt (like we did, and it really was the right thing for us) . . . and at least with IBR, there is a "way out" other than selling your kidneys.

 

So, my advice is just to research IBR, make a plan to use it properly, and then muddle along the best you can. Be sure to enroll in IBR right away so your "clock starts ticking" . . . and be sure to make a plan to pay the taxes on the forgiven amount (assuming you don't ever earn enough to pay it all back) . . . I have read advisors recommending to 1) make minimum IBR payments and 2) start a dedicated (tax deferred if possible) savings account for the (possible enormous) tax bill you'd get when the loans get forgiven at the end of your repayment period. If I were advising a person with big loans and uncertain ability to pay them back, that's what I'd advise.

 

(((hugs))

 

My response to this is to be careful.  It seems like the loans have already been taken, so there isn't much to do about it, but IBR is like indentured servitude forever, with debtor's prison awaiting you at the end. I would never advise anyone to plan on using it, unless they were going into a service sector where the loans would be forgiven in 10 years.   (which with an MA in English may well be a possibility) . Our payments are huge, even with IBR, and they go up every time we get a tiny raise, and at the end, if they don't change the tax laws, we will owe over a hundred thousand dollars in taxes.  It's ludicrous.  If we could afford to pay 100k in taxes, we could have paid off our loans. :shrug:

[elegantlion]

I was under the impression that in order to be a technical writer, you have to be familiar with the technical aspects of whatever you're writing about.  If that is not necessarily the case, how does one go about finding technical writing positions?  Obviously I don't know much about that field.

 

 

I don't know, really. These are many of the same questions I'm considering in my schooling. I asked about technical writing a few months ago. I'll see if I can find the thread, there were a few technical writers that commented. 

 

Here's the link. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512037-career-exploration-part-2-technical-writers/?hl=%2Btechnical+%2Bwriter&do=findComment&comment=5600970

[funmamacita]

Have you tried freelance writing? For magazines, I mean, not online or SEO writing.

 

If you read any magazines regularly, those are a good place to start. You're reading, and you think, "Oh, they should do a story about xxx because yyyy." Then you pitch the story to the editor of the department it would fit in -- check the masthead or the website to find the right person. (I think getting started as a freelancer is easiest when you start with magazines you already read a lot -- otherwise, you have to do so much research.)

 

I was our family's primary breadwinner for several years as a freelancer, and it's possible to make a good living, if you are persistent and totally, unfailingly reliable about deadlines and flexible about making changes. (Now I also edit a couple of magazines, so I freelance less. But I'm still the main moneymaker. :))

[DragonFaerie]

Have you tried freelance writing? For magazines, I mean, not online or SEO writing.

 

If you read any magazines regularly, those are a good place to start. You're reading, and you think, "Oh, they should do a story about xxx because yyyy." Then you pitch the story to the editor of the department it would fit in -- check the masthead or the website to find the right person. (I think getting started as a freelancer is easiest when you start with magazines you already read a lot -- otherwise, you have to do so much research.)

 

I was our family's primary breadwinner for several years as a freelancer, and it's possible to make a good living, if you are persistent and totally, unfailingly reliable about deadlines and flexible about making changes. (Now I also edit a couple of magazines, so I freelance less. But I'm still the main moneymaker. :))

 

Thanks for the suggestion and the encouragement.  I hadn't considered magazine writing, mostly because I just assumed it would be hard to get a foot in the door.  I have actually had three short stories published, and friends and family tell me I should write.  I've just always been a fiction writer rather than non-fiction.  Can you point me toward any resources in particular that might be helpful in getting started?

[DragonFaerie]

I don't know, really. These are many of the same questions I'm considering in my schooling. I asked about technical writing a few months ago. I'll see if I can find the thread, there were a few technical writers that commented. 

 

Here's the link. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512037-career-exploration-part-2-technical-writers/?hl=%2Btechnical+%2Bwriter&do=findComment&comment=5600970

 

Thanks for the link.  I'm off to read it now.

[funmamacita]

I don't think there's one right way to start freelancing, but if you want a book, I like The Renegade Writer. If you decide to pursue freelancing seriously, a subscription to Freelance Success is well worth the money, in my opinion. The newsletters and the private forum are excellent resources. Other people recommend the Absolute Write forums -- I think they're very hit-or-miss, but I bet they are a good place to find answers to some beginner questions.

 

Really, though, the best way to get started is to read magazines. A lot of them. Pay attention to the ways topics are covered in different publications -- for instance, Esquire, Parenting, Real Simple and Marie Claire might all have a story on finances, but the way they approach those topics will be totally different. Writing for a magazine is different from writing fiction because you're trying to capture the magazine's voice -- your article (and your pitch!) should sound like it fits perfectly into the magazine. The more time you spend reading a magazine, the better grasp you will have of its voice. Pitch a short piece for a department if you don't have much professional writing experience, and make your pitch so good an editor won't want to say no. Once you have a few short pieces, you can start pitching longer pieces. And keep the magazine in mind -- I cannot stress that enough. As an editor, I can tell two sentences into a query if someone has read my magazine, and I'm not going to keep reading something from someone who hasn't read the magazine he's pitching.

 

When you get an assignment, do an amazingly good job. Then edit it again and again until it's even better. Do a little extra research and edit it again. Turn it in on time. Turn it in two days early! Your editor will notice, and after a couple of good experiences, she'll start thinking of you when she needs to make an assignment. Eventually, you won't have to pitch at all (which is certainly one of the hardest parts of the job) because you'll be getting so many assignments from editors.

 

I think it's easier to break into magazines than people think IF you are willing to write the way a magazine wants you to. I get very few usable pitches from writers, but it's usually obvious that the writer hasn't tried to figure out the best piece for my magazine or the best way to approach it or why she's the right person to write the piece. The very few writers who do those things really stand out, at least for me.

 

 

[DragonFaerie]

I don't think there's one right way to start freelancing, but if you want a book, I like The Renegade Writer. If you decide to pursue freelancing seriously, a subscription to Freelance Success is well worth the money, in my opinion. The newsletters and the private forum are excellent resources. Other people recommend the Absolute Write forums -- I think they're very hit-or-miss, but I bet they are a good place to find answers to some beginner questions.

 

Really, though, the best way to get started is to read magazines. A lot of them. Pay attention to the ways topics are covered in different publications -- for instance, Esquire, Parenting, Real Simple and Marie Claire might all have a story on finances, but the way they approach those topics will be totally different. Writing for a magazine is different from writing fiction because you're trying to capture the magazine's voice -- your article (and your pitch!) should sound like it fits perfectly into the magazine. The more time you spend reading a magazine, the better grasp you will have of its voice. Pitch a short piece for a department if you don't have much professional writing experience, and make your pitch so good an editor won't want to say no. Once you have a few short pieces, you can start pitching longer pieces. And keep the magazine in mind -- I cannot stress that enough. As an editor, I can tell two sentences into a query if someone has read my magazine, and I'm not going to keep reading something from someone who hasn't read the magazine he's pitching.

 

When you get an assignment, do an amazingly good job. Then edit it again and again until it's even better. Do a little extra research and edit it again. Turn it in on time. Turn it in two days early! Your editor will notice, and after a couple of good experiences, she'll start thinking of you when she needs to make an assignment. Eventually, you won't have to pitch at all (which is certainly one of the hardest parts of the job) because you'll be getting so many assignments from editors.

 

I think it's easier to break into magazines than people think IF you are willing to write the way a magazine wants you to. I get very few usable pitches from writers, but it's usually obvious that the writer hasn't tried to figure out the best piece for my magazine or the best way to approach it or why she's the right person to write the piece. The very few writers who do those things really stand out, at least for me.

 

Wow.  Thank you so much for all this information!  I do have one more question, if that's okay.  Where do magazine writers come up with their information when they're writing an article?  I mean, I understand research, but do they quote other articles?  Or do they have to find people to interview?  I don't really understand that part of it.

 

 

[sheryl]

I don't think you made a wrong choice (don't remember your exact wording).   You studied in the subject that is your heart's desire.   The idea of tutoring sounds good - in person and even via Skype or so. 

 

Also, I had a friend who wrote part-time for a magazine.  I don't remember which one but it may have been a travel topic or such.  It will take time but it seems you'll do just fine!  :)

[Ravin]

I’ve been working on getting my MA in English for two years now with the hopes of teaching online literature and writing classes at the community college level (I have no interest in pursuing a Ph.D. for university/tenure careers). My student loan balances are more than some people’s mortgages. I will probably never have them paid off. On top of that, it sounds more and more like finding decent online teaching opportunities may not be possible at all and certainly finding enough work to sustain a household is quite unlikely. I absolutely do NOT want to work outside the home (for a variety of reasons, so please don’t suggest that). I worked for several years as a contract mortgage loan processor when the kids were very young, and I really enjoyed. But, licensing requirements in the last several years have made that an impossibility now. I am a fairly good writer, but I do not like writing SEO content, blogs, etc. and have no real areas of expertise anyway (the mortgage experience is too old to be relevant now). I have done transcription, which is all well and good, but not something I can see doing long-term nor even enough on a daily basis to make any real money (I just can't sit and type for that many hours a day). I’m feeling quite depressed about my future right now. This is really a JAWM thread because I just don’t think I can stand hearing about how I should put on my big girl panties and go out and get a job, etc. I’m just feeling really down and hopeless right now.

Job hunting puts my stomach in knots, too. (I'm fairly sure that light at the end of the law school tunnel is an incoming train). As does DH's career prospects (he is shooting for that PhD/tenure track in English).

[saw]

I don't have any particularly helpful advice but wanted to encourage you. I've been looking for work off and on (in between single-parenting and homeschooling, so you can guess just how much has been off and how much on!) for the last year and a half. It can be SO discouraging. I've had many days where I've felt like nothing was ever going to work. BUT I've plodded away as best I can and got a call yesterday for an interview, am waiting to hear from another, have another interview set up for next week and had to turn down a fourth interview because I had to agree that I would not be interviewing elsewhere during that interview process. These are the first interviews I've had since I started looking, and they all seem to be coming in at once. Just keep going and something will work out.

 

In the meantime, network and use LinkedIn. That's what people keep telling me. Also check out iRelaunch for helpful links, Elance, Momcorps, etc. If you google words like returner and relaunch you will come up with some good sites and a bunch of links. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much support there is out there for moms who are returning to work (all types of work). It's a great time to be a "returner".

 

 

[Arcadia]

How about writing articles for your city's newspaper/newsletter. That was what a friend did when she relocated to the states on a spousal visa. She had to attend staff meetings once a week but otherwise could work from home.

[funmamacita]

Wow.  Thank you so much for all this information!  I do have one more question, if that's okay.  Where do magazine writers come up with their information when they're writing an article?  I mean, I understand research, but do they quote other articles?  Or do they have to find people to interview?  I don't really understand that part of it.

 

 

 

(I hope I pasted your comment correctly!)

 

As you say, you'll do research for a story, so that's where books, other articles, documentaries, what-have-you come in. As you're familiarizing yourself with the topic, jot down names that come up a few times -- those are the people that you'll want to contact for interviews. Tracking down people is much easier thanks to Google! (You can also look for people who've written books about a topic.) You will want to interview people for your story rather than relying on quotes from other media. My first (and favorite) editor told me that to write 250 words well, you had to do 2,500 words worth of work, and I think that's true. You may need to interview three or four people to find the one quote you need. (Start a file with material you didn't use because you may find another angle on your story to pitch, and you've already done all the research.) I would say definitely don't quote other articles in your article -- that's more of an online writing thing, I think. Most magazines will want you to do your own research.

 

HTH! I wish you the best of luck!