Thanks again for a great conversation here everyone

Digital Midge

I realize that some might think it’s hard to get out of the low-paying gig mire once you get started, but that wasn’t the case for me. I just knew how to play my cards well, I guess. That as well as the fact that I always think positively.

Ann G: Billy Dee? That’s fantastic! The point is also sound – sometimes the education offsets the $0 pay. I hope you include that interview on your resume – star power is an excellent resume booster. I have a client section on mine: it lists my major more well-known clients and a few unknowns so that they see that I’m willing to work with any business from small mom and pops up to chains, franchises, international clients, et cetera.

One of my regular jobs is working as a PA for a man who is an Internet marketer. (Please don’t come after me with the torches and pitchforks for this one!) He isn’t my highest-paying client and his business is still in startup mode but in return for my services, he is teaching me about his business and how IM works. I have access to products that he has spent thousands of $$ on, and he is paying me to learn. It’s an eduation that I wouldn’t get anywhere else without spending a ton of money, and I can add Internet Marketing to the list of topics I am comfortable writing about.

If you consistently give your clients more than they expect from you, then over time they will start to give back to you in the form of better assignments and better pay. Satisfied clients can also give you references that will help you land those better-paying jobs, as well as referrals to other people who are hiring.

I’ve earned anywhere from $200 for 1,000 words to 2 cents. I’ve been freelance writing for almost 2 years now, and reviewing books for 8 years. Sadly, I find that book reviewers are becoming a scarce commodity now. I get free books from authors and publishers, but don’t make any money, and the majority of people now feel if there is no pay it’s not worth their time.

I happen to have a gig reviewing CDs that doesn’t pay, but I also get free music CDs before they are released to the public.

In the end, while money is important, you also have to make yourself happy. The job I’m working on today is only 3-cents a word, but it’s for a travel company that needs their press releases rewritten into news articles to send to major newspapers around the globe. In an hour, I got 10 written, potentially more had I not turned on my messenger to see how my brother’s doing. I’ve written a total of $32 worth of news stories in that hour, so the pay for me will turn out to be extremely high.

I also have two jobs that pay 25 cents per word. I landed those based on links to writing samples I had attached.

People tend to shun the low paying or free jobs, but the connections you can make are often beneficial. Years ago, I was asked to interview the actor/author Billy Dee Williams when his new book was about to be released. I wasn’t paid a cent, only received a free copy of his book. That one interview has been one of the best writing samples I have and one of the reason potential employers stop and take a closer look.

I have a feeling that my resume isn’t adequately representing my talents, but am not sure how to deal with it. Maybe I need to hire a free-lancer to tweak it for me?!

sorry you lost your health insurance, but COBRA is a ***#! joke. I had it 16 years ago, paid more for it than my mortgage and it still didn’t cover a lot for my prematurely born daughter — claiming charges were “above what is customary,” when we live in Illinois and all the work was done in Indiana, where medical costs (and malpractice insurance) are much lower.

I’m still chuffed that this executive holds me in such esteem, and that she gave my work style some thought to try to understand me.

And to those who wonder, it didn’t take me decades to build my knowledge base.I’ve only been writing in that particular niche for two and a half years.so with patience, you can see some major rewards.