This might be pretty obvious, but since I started blogging and earning a little bit of money, my distaste for my cubicle job has dramatically increased!
With my cubicle (regular) job, I’m stuck in a dingy grey cubicle setup, with very plain lifeless-colored walls. The cube walls are high, so nobody can casually look at me. Visitors have to come to my cubicle entryway to socialize. Lately, I’ve been imagining that my day job, and in particular my cube, is much like a prison cell in the movie Shawshank Redemption. Sometimes I even fantasize about escaping for the fun of it… In fact, with friends I sometimes tell them I am going to tunnel out with plastic spoons someday… Silly, but funny at the same time.
While I’ve always had these feelings to some degree, blogging has intensified them so that I’m starting to really dislike my job.
So you might be wondering the reasons I dislike my job because of my blogging? Well, here they are:
- I can and do blog in restaurants, libraries, cafe/coffee houses, and at home of course.
- I can even blog at friend’s houses although I don’t do this much…
- My entire blogging empire can be managed from my laptop and a simple laptop messenger bag.
- I can make my own hours (right now it’s past 1:00am where I live).
- I don’t have to commute if I don’t want to when I’m blogging, this saves precious time for other activities.
- I can blog from remote location and even different countries, as long as I have an internet connection.
- I can write blog articles without having an internet connection. This even increased the flexibility of blogging at any time or place.
- I’m my own boss!
- I’m unlimited in creative possibilities! This makes for a rewarding job!
- I don’t have to deal with corporate politics or clichés like I do at my cubicle job…
- If I were to make enough money from blogging, I could travel across the world while working via blogging.
Blogging and online activities really have a lot going for them! While I keep busy at work and actually have a decent job, I’d much rather be blogging for a living.
If you blog and have a full time cubicle job, what do you think?
MR
Agree with you Don on this one, the mobility of the job is a stark contrast to the cubicle culture. However, many people have this mobility built into their jobs and would never support a blogging job or a cubicle one.
Moreover, the little bit of money you get from blogging doesn’t help with liking your job 🙂
Very true about, perhaps I need to find a much cooler job 🙂
During my summer vacation, I blogged during the entire week. I was slow in responding to comments, but I was able to pull it off with little or no effect on my posting schedule at the time.
Well, you may already know this… but blogging all the way. I don’t work in a cubicle, but going to work everyday feels like a prison cell sometimes. No flexibility – ughh.
Yes, would it be so cool to occasionally travel to friends houses and stay a week or two on a semi-vacation while blogging!
If I was much younger and single and had a few years of blogging under my belt and… lol, too many ands huh 🙂
Still it is fun and a nice side income 🙂
Are you sure the root cause is blogging and not debt freedom?
I found that once my goal of working to pay off debt was gone, I started to really question the purpose of my job and my dissatisfaction rose as a result. Once you achieve debt freedom, suddenly you have choices and you start to question if the situation you are in is the one you want to continue to be in long term. The positive thing is that work stresses me out a lot less than it used to because now I know if things get really bad or I get laid off, I’ll be ok financially for quite a while.
I did a lot of soul searching last year and once I came up with some new goals and identified the aspects of my job that I enjoyed and wanted to do more of, it got a lot better.
Are you sure there’s not an opportunity to modify the role you have within your current organization? Or maybe you just need to get out of the office at lunch..join a gym nearby or something. I used to get the 2 year itch, where every couple of years I needed to change jobs to keep things interesting and my mind engaged. If I’m not stretching myself, then I get bored and then disgruntled.
That being said, I’ve been in a home office for 6 years, and it would be really tough for me to go back to cubicle land. I’ve only had 1 job where I haven’t traveled on a regular basis and it was tough for me to sit at my desk every day for 9 hours day after day.
Looking forward to hearing more about this journey you are on.
Being the spreadsheet nerd that I am (don’t tell), I figure that debt freedom got me a quarter of the way to financial freedom (at least with a family, it would be much higher if I were single or married without children).
Blogging has added another tricky quarter. Tricky because my blogging income isn’t a quarter of my regular income, but with the tax benefits of make less, it would go a lot further…
I think it’s a combination of the two.
Good add on your part. Debt freedom is definitely part of the equation.
I definitely think in a way it has affected my outlook on the day job. However, I’m always out and about on my day job with meals and sporting events, so it’s not that bad.
I think I’m just tired of looking at gray walls… If I were out and about like you, I would enjoy my job much more.
I disliked my cubicle job a looonnngg time before I started blogging. The blog definitely moved up the quitting date though since I can see a way to replace some of that income. I finally realized I was searching for a way to self employment and blogging is one avenue.
We should compare cubicle sometime. 😉
lol, yes we should. I’ll have to take a picture of my cube sometime and email them to you!
My Cube even has an address, it’s so much like prison it’s not funny, well a little it is…
I find that my cubicle job is like blogging and I like it. I am fortunate to set my own hours, do what I want to when, and be given a ton of autonomy and freedom to try things. I don’t find much difference.
That’s very awesome!
At one time I didn’t have the luxury of choosing a different job, but with debt freedom and side income, the risk isn’t as great as it was in the past.
Absolutely! In fact…I have begun contemplating an exit strategy (and one that does not involve plastic spoons:)).
Someday, I would like to make a run for it too. But until that time, I’m going to keep breaking spoons 🙂
I blog. I also write, blog and edit at my day job (mostly at a desk, occasionally heading out for events and interviews). Writing has always been part of my professional life, so blogging personally makes no difference…!
Nice, it’s good to have that range of freedom!
Blogging and make a pretty ok side income has ABSOLUTELY changed the way I look at my job and has actually made me appreciate it a bit more.
It has also shown me that I need to really decide if I love my job since there are other ways out there to make money…and I do love my job lol
I don’t love my job, I think that is have of my problem. While my jobs not a bad one, and most would consider quite cool, it’s doesn’t motivate me to get up and go there every morning any earlier (as Buffett claims he does).
Blogging on the other had has soooo much potential! I try to do it but get worn out between everything else. If I could make a go of it full time, I would though!
I think bloggers in general are a pretty free spirited bunch. Getting a little success and recognition by doing something you are passionate about makes you kinda hate everything else you are doing.
How can you love a cube doing something you maybe aren’t passionate about and not getting recognition for it when you could be out there blogging!!
Valid points and very true. My job pays decently, but it’s not going to get me vacation in Hawaii nor cause future generations to remember my name…
I’ve got about 7 years left to retire so I’m not about to make a career change. Blogging might allow me to retire a little earlier with some luck!
True, historically working for someone has a proven track record, even if it does suck. But perhaps if I get a little more creative and allocate just a little more time with online activities, perhaps I can make it a little better for myself and family.
Don, personally, I would not want the stress of depending on blogging income for my livelihood. Too unstable. Too little hourly income! Fun side hustle for me!
I agree, it’s only been around for a short while too. But it would be nice if I did make enough money from it to give up my day job… I would go that route that Flexo went and try to make around three times my day job income.
You’ve listed all of the reasons that I love blogging and freelance writing! However, if my husband wasn’t at a regular job the provides insurance benefits, I would not be able to work from home but would have to have a cubicle job. Those health insurance benefits are expensive!
This seems to be a question that pops in every bloggers mind 😉 There are pros and cons to both, but I’m often wondered the same.
Put me down as one of those bloggers that is generally OK with his day job, but you’re right, I might feel different if I worked in a cubicle. Blogging is a fun side project/hobby.
I actually enjoy my day job. Even so, I would love to not have a 9-5 to go to all day and have the option to blog all day. I realize it’s not as glamorous as it sounds to some people…I wouldn’t be sitting around all day watching TV. But to not have to worry about fighting traffic and finding something to do at work during slow times would be nice!