WHY I NEVER WANT TO BE A FULL-TIME BLOGGER

Posted on March 16, 2019

There’s a lot of myths about bloggers and influencers, one being that a lot of us are full-time bloggers and always do things for the gram (or that’s what it perceives to be via Instagram). Interestingly enough, most of the bloggers I’ve met in San Francisco work full-time jobs and blog on the side. For me, I blog because it’s my hobby/passion and I love my career and need my full-time job to support my quality of life and hobbies (one being blogging). Everyone knows that the cost of living isn’t cheap in San Francisco too, a 1-bedroom apartment is on average $3,200/month.

While some influencers can make a living from blogging you’d have to blog, land big brand deals, plus additional side hustles (like product launches or freelance projects) to make >$100K/year. For me, it’s important to stay authentic and I’d never want the pressure of working with brands I don’t truly love just to pay the bills. I’ve received partnership opportunities from reputable brands with big budgets like Neutrogena but since they’re brands I personally don’t love (I don’t even own any Neutrogena products except for sunblock), it’s nice being able to turn collaborations down since blogging is not my main source of income and I don’t need the money. The last thing I want to do is endorse products I don’t truly love because of the pressure to keep up. Authenticity is key and I get disappointed (although I understand why) when I see bloggers work with companies that don’t really fit their brand. Maybe if a brand I absolutely admire like Chloe or Chanel reached out to me though, I’d consider blogging full-time haha.

I also know that my ceiling of success is higher in my career than blogging since I’m super passionate about what I do. I work full-time in tech ecommerce and have developed a niche for myself because of my expertise and ability to continually learn and grow in my field. If you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll be intrinsically motivated and succeed. My dad always told me if you chase your passion, the money will follow.

On a deeper level, I also know that I’ll never be the best blogger because I know the hustle it requires to get there and that I’m not passionate or good enough to get there. There are many bloggers I admire like Aimee Song and Sincerely Jules and I see the risks it took to get there. For me, I’ve always taken the safe and passive approach to blogging which indicates that I’m not as serious about it as I want it to be. On the other hand, I’ve taken more risks in my career including juggling a full-time job while being a full-time MBA student (I refused to quit because I loved my job even though I was incredibly stressed and barely slept), getting fired for sticking up for what I believed in, and taking on more roles than what my actual role entails. It’s easy to tell what you’re passionate about if you’re willing to go the extra mile for it even if it’s out of your comfort zone. I’ve always been willing to go the extra mile for my career.

So for everyone who’s ever asked or wanted to ask me, “would you ever become a full-time blogger?”, here’s my long but honest answer on why it’s no. 🙂