I have been blogging for over two years now and started making money from it after just a few months. Less than a year in I was making as much money as I would be in a part time job and so this crazy online world became my job as well as my hobby.
I adore what I do and feel very very lucky to be able to call this my job and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. So why when someone asks me what I do for a living do I cringe inside?
It’s usually when I’m getting my hair cut or having my nails done that that dreaded question pops up – “have you got the day off work today then?”, or “what job do you do?”. Very normal questions but I never know what to say. My usual response is something along the lines of “Oh, I have two young children so I’m at home with them at the moment”. Which is a lie really, as I do far more than that.
So why don’t I just tell them the truth?
I guess part of the reason is simply that I think there’s a lot of people out there that still don’t understand blogging and social media. They don’t understand why anyone would want to put there life out there on the internet and they don’t understand how you can make money from it.
I would hate to get into a conversation with someone that didn’t undertstand it, or agree with it. I’m pretty sure my parents still don’t fully understand what I do and I certainly wouldn’t ever get into a converstaion with my grandparents about it because they definitely wouldn’t get it.
There’s also a part of me that hates people being able to read about my life, which is absolutely ridicuous considering I put it all out there. Believe it or not I am actually a very private person and like to keep myself to myself. I guess I almost forget that people read my posts and feel like I’m just chatting away to myself half of the time!
I remember once noticing a spike in my stats and then my husband told me that he’d been chatting to some people at work about my blog and had told them my blog address. All completely innocent but it really made me cringe so much! Does anyone else get like this?
I think it’s about time I stopped covering up what I do and start responding proudly when I’m asked what I do for a living. Because at the end of the day blogging is a proper job and a job I bloody love doing!
If you’re a blogger, YouTuber or Instagrammer, what is your response to this question? Are you like me? Or are you happy to chat about your job and what it involves?
Thank you for reading.
Yes it’s super difficult! What’s even harder is when you need to put your job down on a form – for insurance or a financial application or something and it just doesn’t exist!
Author
So annoying isn’t it. It should be recognised more.
Oh totally – I never really tell people I blog (although tbh it’s not a job for me – more of a sometimes remunerated hobby) as I find it a bit weird. I don’t know why – I guess I just don’t want to start to have to explain what it is and why I do it. It’s an alien concept to so many!
Author
Same. I just don’t want to get into a conversation about it with people that don’t understand.
I started blogging a while back – am currently changing my site a bit so haven’t written one in a while and I would love to be able to say it is my job but haven’t managed to get far yet! Do you have tops on making it work as a job because I love writing my blog!!
Author
Just stick with it really and be consistent x
As you know my blog is part time inline with my other job of being a dental nurse, i too dont get into conversations with people about my blogging as i still lack so much confidence when it comes to blogging. I’m scared to make that jump to saying I’m a blogger. Silly i know but its a funny old world this business and some people just dont get it. Xx
Author
It’s hard to know how to explain it to someone who doesn’t get it, isn’t it? x