Everything I Love About My Writing Career as a Freelance Writer, Blogger, and Novelist a Year After I Quit My Engineering Job

Over a year ago, I hung up my hard hat at my engineering job to start my own writing business as a freelance writer, mental health blogger, and fiction novelist!

On the day I quit my engineering job, I inhaled a rejuvenating gulp of fresh air for the first time in three years. Between an engineering project management co-op and two and a half years of a full-time corporate engineering career, I certainly figured out what I was not supposed to do in life. My artistic, independent brain was not made to sit trapped in a cubicle, surrounded by a stifling corporate environment, and design underground electrical distribution systems.

Read the full story of how I quit my engineering job.

I refused to accept spending the rest of my life working for the man on projects that bored the shit out of my creative rainbow brain. My dedication to my mental health was too powerful to ignore the dread that glued me to my bed every morning. I was too self aware to disregard the unfulfillment that gouged an empty hole in my heart. 

So I quit my engineering job on March 31, 2021 by marching out of a corporate office building with an insane smile smeared across my face. When I quit my job, I had paid off all my student loans, saved up over a year’s worth of expenses, rolled my 401k and pension into a Roth IRA, and made a few other responsible financial decisions. I also extensively researched and prepared for my writing career.

But I had not lined up any writing gigs for myself because I was completely trapped as long as I was working in the corporate world. I couldn’t move forward until I left that giant soul-sucker behind. So, I quit, traveled around the western United States in a campervan for a bit, and then I went for it.

So, how is it going over a year later? It turns out that I LOVE owning a writing business, and it was the best decision ever to quit my engineering job. I like to say that I jumped right out of a plane the day I quit my job but didn’t bring a parachute with me. Instead, I built a plane on the way down. Though I was heavy with fear about not possessing enough discipline to run a business and not making money as a writer, the plane that I courageously built for myself didn’t crash. Perhaps my mechanical engineering experience helped me with that build. ;) 

Sure, there’s some turbulence here and there, but my fears never transpired, and I’m flying high now! I am so proud of myself for deciding I am worthy of pursuing my dream career as a writer. Because I was willing to take that jump, I gave myself the chance to actually prove to myself that I am capable.

Here’s what I do as a freelance content writer, mental health blogger, and fiction novelist.

What I Do as a Freelance Content Writer, Mental Health Blogger, and Fiction Novelist

Freelance Content Writer

As a freelance content writer, I write online content for clients. This content includes search engine optimized (SEO) blog posts, email marketing copy, web copy like landing pages or product descriptions, and social media copy like Instagram captions or Pinterest pin descriptions.

I play a crucial role in businesses’ marketing efforts by matching the brand’s voice to write engaging copy. With my creative copy, I help drive website traffic, generate leads, and convert readers and subscribers into customers. I am knowledgeable in SEO for web copy and target specific keywords based on the industry and audience of the client’s brand to make the content more searchable on Google. Additionally, my copy helps to educate readers and customers about the business.

Clients and I discuss their business’s content needs, brainstorm writing and marketing plans, and agree on rates and payment plans. Typically, I’m paid through a payment software platform, like Stripe, on an hourly basis or by a fixed price per project (like a blog post or email newsletter).

If you’re looking for a creative writer to add engaging content to your website, emails, or social media platforms, please contact me! Come to me with your business needs and any questions you have about growing an audience and better serving your customers with words.

Mental Health Blogger

On my blog, I advocate for mental health by sharing personal experiences and encouraging others to practice self care, follow their dreams, and live a life of adventure.

I am starting to make a little bit of money as a blogger! Ways I can make money through blogging on my website and social media include affiliate marketing, advertising, and selling my own products (book in progress) or services (freelance writing). I am an affiliate for mental health brands that spread awareness and give back to mental health nonprofits and organizations. 

Being a mental health blogger has not earned me much of an income (yet?!), but the journey has been incredibly rewarding! I get to connect with people who read my words and can relate. I’ve learned so much about the world and myself through my blog. I also help promote brands and lifestyles that align with my values, which makes me feel like I’m making the world a better place in my own Jessi way. I love it. :)

Fiction Novelist

I also write fiction novels! I’m currently editing (or shall we say entirely rewriting) the third draft of my first novel. The novel writing process is an insane and beautiful journey. I’ve learned sooo much about storytelling, character arcs, plot development, the publishing process, and life in general as I’ve researched and crafted this romantic thriller. 

It’s so interesting what novelists actually do throughout the day. We’ll research disturbing and random things like how long can you live in freezing temperatures after getting stabbed by a sword in the femoral artery. We’ll sit at our computer for one hour and write two sentences. Then, we’ll escape into nature to absorb inspiration and ideas so we can return to our computer and bust out 1,000 words in 30 minutes. Out of everything I do as a writer, novel writing is my favorite.

There is so much I love about this career path! Here are 13 beautiful pieces of my job that I am celebrating.

13 Things I Love About My Writing Career as a Freelance Writer, Blogger, and Novelist

I am talented at my craft and can generate ideas and content that truly benefit businesses. 

Receiving positive feedback from my clients and readers means everything to me! I used to receive the occasional small praise as an engineer, but they were few and far between. Honestly, I felt like a confused idiot most of the time. But it’s a whole different world hearing that the blog posts I crafted with my fingertips at the keyboard are generating income for businesses. 

When clients show me the analytics reflecting how my blog posts and emails convert viewers into customers, I receive proof that my work genuinely benefits businesses! I’m like, “Wow, it actually looks like I know what I’m doing now!” The compliments I receive the most from people who read my work are that I am inspiring and that my words made them feel. That feedback makes my heart glow warm with pride every single time. Thanks, friends. :)

I flex the creative side of my creative brain every single day!

Not too long ago, I reached into a dark crevice of my brain to pull out my creative inner child once again. I had shoved her into a corner while I solely exercised my brain with extensive math problems during engineering school. But once I reached the corporate world and recognized something was very wrong, I decided to ask my inner child what I was supposed to do. She gently reminded me of how I spent my days growing up: drawing pictures, acting out books I’d read in my family’s wooded backyard, and writing creative, goofy stories.

Creating art is what I absolutely adore, and now I get to do that every single day. And I make money doing it! I am getting an extraordinary amount of practice flexing the creative side of the brain. As I write blog posts, craft marketing content, and edit my fiction novel, I’m only sprouting more ideas and further toning those writing muscles. 

I still get to use the logical side of my brain.

I mean, I got a mechanical engineering degree for valid reasons. In addition to following my wise dad’s advice to snatch a degree that would land me a reliable, stable career, I’ve also always loved math! I enjoy solving problems and understanding the tedious, technical details (well, some of them). I got to do a lot of that during engineering school. Now, as a business owner, I’m becoming quite knowledgeable in finance, retirement plans, website analytics, and accounting. MATH! I’m actually doing more math as a writer than as a full-time engineer. I am completely serious. And I love that part of owning a business. 

It’s gratifying to understand (as well as I can) the many different sectors of my business. Additionally, it’s so refreshing to take the occasional break from content creation to craft spreadsheets in excel that organize all the numbers and analytics.

I feel genuine pride when I celebrate big and small career-related successes.

The first month I made money as a writer was June of 2021. I made $80. I celebrated this milestone so hard! I commemorated my first client who was a lifelong friend and my first client who was a stranger. I've celebrated an $80 deal and a $3,000 deal. I felt proud of the completion of the first page of my novel and the first draft of my novel. I’ve honored writing off significant items on my taxes and investing in new software for my businesses. There is always something to celebrate when you have a positive mindset, especially when you’re doing something you enjoy every day. It feels so good to embrace genuine pride after achieving all successes, big and small.

The skills and knowledge I am gaining are worthy of my time and lead me down a path that aligns with my goals.

Every skill I learn as a writer and business owner serves me and my goals for the future. As an engineer, I was distraught because my brain was spending so much energy absorbing technical skills that I didn’t want to use in the future. I constantly felt like I was wasting brainpower and space that could have been spent on something more fulfilling. I didn’t feel like I benefited society by becoming more knowledgeable about utilities. But I sure feel valuable as a writer, and I appreciate that I can use the skills gained to take me and others to the next level.

Additionally, much of my writing content aligns with my values and interests! For example, I write about sustainable topics like the carbon market, solar power, clean living, and bamboo products. I also write about mental health and personal growth. Spreading information about topics that are important to me makes me feel like I’m positively impacting the world.

On the other hand, I'm also writing about random topics I didn’t previously know much about. Writing this content requires research, and I’m gaining so much knowledge within a vast array of subjects. I swear, I will win a random trivia contest after being a freelance writer for a while!

I. Enjoy. The. Work. 

This is HUGE! I’m no longer spending my days crying at my computer because I despise the work. On the contrary, I’m typically very engaged in my writing. It’s not perfect by any means; some client work is less interesting than others. But I don’t feel like I’m torturing myself while working like I did as an engineer. Time used to tick by remarkably slowly. If you spend your days wishing the day was already over, then that really SUCKS. I know how that feels, and I thank myself every day for changing my situation. Nowadays, I have the opposite issue: time ticks by way too fast! I’m very busy and engaged, and now I understand what people mean (when referring to their work) when they say they need more hours in a day!

I am excited about the future of my career.

I used to have goal-setting meetings with my engineering supervisor (who was truly a kind, compassionate, reliable guy). But when we met to discuss my performance and plans for the future, I had to lie to someone I respected. For a while, I didn’t know I was lying. I had no idea where I wanted my career to go. Sure, I’ll get my MBA and my PE. Yeah, I’d like to move around the company and eventually become a people leader. But once I realized I actually just wanted to quit and become a writer, I couldn’t tell my boss that! At least, not yet. For a while, those meetings were totally worthless, and I felt zero excitement about the future of my engineering career. And since I was still way too scared to make the jump, my writing career vision was also quite blurry. 

But I’m on the other side now! And I can tell you I am pumped up about the future of my career. As I learn more from my clients and research how to scale my business, my vision sharpens, and I am hungry to pursue my goals!

I am energized from working with talented, motivated, and kind people who are literal geniuses in the line of business and creativity.

On this career path, I suddenly feel like I’m surrounded by geniuses. Of course, I also worked with many intelligent, hard-working, and inspiring people as an engineer. But now that I’m interested in my work, it’s a shiny new world. I’ve met and discovered so many role models who have helped shape my business over the past year. Some of my clients are good friends who are inspiring, creative small business owners. And some of them are millionaires who have scaled their businesses into passive income-generating machines! I’m so grateful I get to learn from my clients, accountant, lawyer, and fellow business owner friends!

I can make money as a writer. Heck, I can scale my business and make a lot of money.

Growing up, I was taught that you can’t make money as a writer. Ehem, WRONG! I work with incredible examples of businesses that have scaled to impressive levels because of their writers and marketing teams, who also run successful businesses. Many writers make a living that covers their lifestyle and expenses!

Most months, I make a comfortable income doing what I love. It’s true that the business owner life has ups and downs. But based on how my business has grown so far and the knowledge I have gained, I believe there will be a day in the future when I surpass my engineering salary and grow far beyond. There is no income ceiling when you work for yourself! 

I quit my corporate job because happiness is more important to me than money. But money is important to me, too. We need it to survive and to care for ourselves and others. Now that I enjoy my career, I am much more willing to put in more hours to grow this business and earn more income.

The business owner life is far from mundane.

So, the feast and famine cycle of being a business owner is real, friends. There are months when I’m so loaded with client work and accompanying income that I don’t have time to write my novel or keep up with my mental health blog. There are also months when the client work falls off, and I make very little income, but I have a lot of time to write my book and connect with the readers of my mental health blog.

I know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and I didn’t use to think it was for me. I was surprised to find that the ups and downs keep my writing career very interesting! I am much more engaged and energized when I'm riding a thrilling roller coaster than when I’m on a slow merry-go-round that spins in the same steady circle on repeat. I was bored out of my mind in the corporate world. The endless, mundane, repetitive days inside cubicles felt like imprisonment. But the volatile nature of being a business owner is thrilling! I mean, it's definitely stressful, but I’d rather feel stressed than unfulfilled.

I work independently.

I am independent of a company, boss, location, co-workers, and more. There are certainly downsides to this, as I’m often very alone throughout the day, and I don’t receive the benefits that employees of large corporations receive. However, this is how I prefer to work during this chapter of my life. I’m very introverted when it comes to my work. I hate when people look over my shoulder, I’d much rather do my own thing than work with a team, and I cannot stand being told what to do when I’m not asking for guidance. The independence is freeing, which leads me to…

I am not confined to set hours or cubicles. I am free.

They don’t call me a freelance writer for no reason. Working independently means I don’t have to trap myself in a cubicle or work during “work hours.” I work in bursts of energy, so if I want to put in 12 hours of work in a day, I can do that. If I want to take a day off to ski, I can also do that. The freedom within this career has granted me new adventures throughout my weeks. I can venture to a coffee shop or library if I want. I can go on a three-hour hike in between client work if I please.

Sometimes, when I think about how privileged I am to be able to do this, I literally cry. The tears that drip onto my nose are laced with so much gratitude! My freedom is so important to me, and I recognize that many factors involving both hard work and chance landed me here. Thank you, universe.

I am my own freaking boss.

Aside from adhering to my client’s wishes and abiding by the law, I get to run my business however the heck I want. I decide my hours, workload, type of content, work location, outfits, pay rate, software, education, and more. I actually own a real live corporation called Jessi Elder Writing Inc! It’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I am a business owner, entrepreneur, president, CEO, whatever you want to call it. I am my own boss! 

I LOVE this lifestyle and career. Thank you for reading! If this resonated with you in any way, I’d love to hear your story! Please share your comments below. :)

Mental Health Blog Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional, therapist, or mental healthcare professional. The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only, comes from my own personal experiences, and may be read, interpreted, and practiced at your own risk. Do not rely on this information as a substitute to medical advice or treatment from a healthcare professional.