Anonymous asked: Do you think being a freelance writer is a sustainable career? I'd like to pursue the career after college. How much can I expect to be paid?

Quite frankly, no. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this topic, and I’ve sort of been at a loss for words (ironic, given the subject matter) because I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer. Yet having been acquainted with and spoken to a lot of older, better established writers, very few would recommend this line of work to a young college grad and I don’t think I would either. The print industry has been dying, and there’s no money in web. Given the few opportunities available, even a steady paying gig in media is a risky career choice since your employer could fold at pretty much any moment. Veteran writers with contacts and advanced degrees and accolades are getting fired all the time. For someone who’s just breaking in? It’s really not a good time to be a writer.

I’m going to be perfectly, brutally honest, and none of it is going to be pretty, so I’d stop reading now if you do not want your dreams and aspirations shattered. Full disclosure: I estimate that I will make approximately $20,000 before taxes this year. Since I don’t have an employer, I pay for my own health insurance, computer, and website costs. My income constitutes a living in some places, but it’s not going to get you very far in a big city like Boston or New York, where rent alone is going to eat up at least $500 a month (if you’re being extremely frugal). And of course, the really twisted thing is that most jobs in media are located in the very cities in which writers can’t afford to live. The only reason I’m freelancing at all given the terrible state of affairs is because it’s a temporary means of earning an income while I work on a book proposal that will hopefully earn me big bucks. I don’t want to offer any romanticized illusions about the glamorous writer’s life. It’s not freakin’ glamorous. If I don’t sell my proposal, I’m going to quit writing, take my Harvard degree to the nearest PR firm, and hope someone gives me a real job. My parents are getting older, my friends are making six-figures, and I don’t want to spend my twenties trying to feed myself. I need to actually have something leftover, especially since my family can’t help me out. This isn’t a sustainable career at all, and that’s just the reality of the situation.

That said, of the people I know who have gone into freelancing, some have managed to transition into staff positions with benefits and health insurance and all that jazz. So if that’s what you want to do, it’s not impossible, but it is extremely difficult. You’re also not going to be living it up, since there are some serious sacrifices to make along the way. Some of my friends lived at home in the meantime to save on rent. Others spent months subsisting on TV dinners. Few have lasted beyond two years. Those who moved to New York sans trust fund have been leaving the city in droves. You’re going to have to learn to deal with being perpetually broke, and it’s hard to not feel resentful post-college when all your friends are making twice or three times (or in my case, FIVE times) as much. Richard Morgan recently wrote a piece for The Awl on his seven years as a freelance writer:

Freelancing means walking from the West Village to the Upper East Side and back because you don’t have enough money for the subway. Freelancing means being so poor and so hungry for so long that you “eat” a bowl of soup that’s just hot water, crushed-up multivitamins and half your spice rack (mostly garlic salt).

Morgan now has a staff position in Memphis. I do not want to move to Memphis. I also admittedly do not have it this bad, but I don’t live in New York either and would never move there precisely because I fear what would happen to my bank account.

Here is the unvarnished, unpopular truth: If you were born into a family that can support you or deferred a grad school admission or graduated from the Ivy League, then maybe you should just go for it. To be honest, if I didn’t just come out of Harvard, I would never dare to do this. I’m not trying to be elitist, and I certainly don’t think I’m better than anyone because of some piece of paper. But the reality is that trust funds and a fancy education are insurance policies that allow you to pursue your wildest dreams without worrying that you won’t be able to get a job once the thrill of being young and fearless wears off. If I turn out to be a total failure as a writer, I won’t be completely fucked. Not a lot of people can do this — and it’s a privilege, one I try to be grateful for everyday. But just because I’m doing it does not mean that I’m going to sit here and tell you that anything is possible and that the world is your oyster. Given my personal experiences and the experiences of my friends and colleagues, it would be irresponsible for me to say that freelance writing is a viable long-term career plan for the typical newly minted graduate. Then again, no one I know in finance is terribly happy either, but that’s another story.

Other freelancers out there, feel free to throw in your two cents.

More burning questions? Ask Lena.

Related posts on freelance writing, career, and post-grad life:
Reader Question: “How did your parents feel about you going to Harvard but not going pre-med?”
I think this is the part where “life” begins
Reader Question: “What college/career advice would you give to someone who’s seriously interested in human sexuality and feminism?
Reader Question: “Aren’t you anxious/scared about life postgrad especially since you don’t want the normal 9-to-5?”