Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

April 8, 2008

For some reason, people tend to think that blogging is some really glamorous job. They have this idea that we sit around sipping umbrella’ed cocktails at the pool, with our computer next to us, uploading the occasional story when we feel like it.

I’m not going to lie, I probably play into that stereotype. When someone stops by my apartment to ask me out for lunch, or to go to Happy Hour, or to meet for coffee, I rarely say no. That really is the beauty of this job…I can work whenever I feel like it. I do sort of take the general attitude, “Oh, who needs to work when I can hang out with friends!”

But, I think what people don’t realize, is that when I go out during the day, that same night I’ll stay up until 4 am working on stories for the next day. No matter how much I play, I still make sure to get my work done. Honestly, it takes a ton of self-discipline, and has definitely been a growing experience for me. No one is sitting in the office next door waiting for me to show up at work on time. No one is hanging over my shoulder telling me, “Kyle, you have to write 20 stories today!” I can write them if I want, or I can not write them (and not make any money).

The New York Times just wrote an article on two bloggers who wrote until they dropped, literally, of heart attacks. My favorite quote from the article was,

“This is the digital-era sweatshop.”

The focus of the article are the long hours and low pay. Fortunately for me, I only have to deal with the long hours. I definitely feel that I’m fairly compensated for my work. I’m actually a little outside the payscale that they say is the average. It seems like nobody has a lot of cold hard facts on blogging since the pay scale they gave didn’t really seem right to me. They also said the number of people blogging for a living ranges from the thousands to the tens of thousands. That’s a pretty huge range.

So yeah, blogging might seem like the coolest job in the world, and it probably is, but if you’re considering trying to make a career off of it, just know that it can get pretty stressful. Writing about celebrities and style might sounds like a piece of cake, but just imagine trying to be clever, witty and entertaining, 20 posts a day! I’m telling you, it’s draining.

That being said, I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world. I love to write and I love the freedom. On that note, I’m off to the gym in the middle of the day because I don’t feel like working right now. I’ll do it later

Read the full article on the stresses of blogging here.

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11 Comments

I just found your blog and am curious as to how you are making a living in Santiago. (I apologize I haven’t read all of your posts… yet.) My wife and I are trying desperatley to move there but considering I speak very little “Castillano” it’s been tough to find a suitable job. My wife is from Chile and we have a beach house in ViÃ±a that we rent out (inerested?) and would love to just move there, but the failed job search is keeping that from happening.

Comment by turtle — April 8, 2008 @ 1:38 pm

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Turtle, read this post and you’ll find the answer to your qestion

Comment by Mamacita Chilena — April 8, 2008 @ 1:45 pm

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You forgot to mention another great perk of working as a blogger: NO PESKY WORK COLLEAGUES!!!

Girl, I wish I had your job right now… but that would require me knowing how to write.

Fned.

Comment by Fned — April 9, 2008 @ 1:51 am

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I’ve had a couple of jobs where I could work from home and I was so much more productive. I miss it.

But I can imagine the burn-out I’d encounter if I blogged for a living. After a week or two I’d be tearing my hair out.

Comment by Ordinary Girl — April 9, 2008 @ 8:45 am

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Well, you should be well-compensated for your work, ’cause you are doing a great job of turning out interesting posts! Even if the Bag Lady doesn’t always read ALL of them, the ones she has seen have been very good.
Now if only the Bag Lady could get paid for blogging. (Of course, that would mean having to actually KNOW something….sigh.)

Comment by the Bag Lady — April 9, 2008 @ 9:26 am

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OK…so I guess you really do have an excuse now, when you don’t feel like blogging here.

Jayna

Comment by Anonymous — April 9, 2008 @ 10:27 am

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Hi Kyle- I love your blog and have included it in my list of favorites for an article I did for the Texas Bar Journal. So, thousands of attorneys will be reading soon. I’m not sure how to attach the article, but I have it posted on my website at http://www.wardspeaking.com. Love the blog, the insights, because my husband and I are seriously considering moving to Spain. Samantha

Comment by Samantha — April 9, 2008 @ 6:17 pm

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I work from home, too, also on the internet, but not as a blogger. Staying motivated can sometimes be a challenge, but the upside is that if I am not feeling into working I can always take a break and watch Oprah or read a book or something and come back to it later.

I think it’s super cool that you’re able to work for US wages and live in Chile. That should make your world tour happen a little faster, huh?

Comment by mexpat — April 10, 2008 @ 7:45 am

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Hi there little blogging machine!
Glad to know you found a job you enjoy, hard and stressing some times, but rewarding after all.
Just found your blog, will visit often

Comment by Mel — April 10, 2008 @ 9:47 am

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I definitely agree with you on several points. I haven’t landed any blogging jobs yet, just doing freelance article writing, but the creativity and thought that goes into writing an interesting post is a lot of work.

It is one thing to be creative, but you also have to be original and think of something that everyone else who is blogging on the same topic hasn’t thought of and add your own style.

I love my change from office work to freelance since moving to Brazil. I’m off to the gym or the market in the middle of the day and I just love the freedom. I am a set-my-own-schedule kind of girl!

Comment by Lori - Blondie in Brazil — April 10, 2008 @ 10:39 am

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Somehow, i’m sure being witty and clever for 20 posts a day is not so tough for you…you seem to have it all together.

I love reading you, and I just love your new hair cut by the way!!

super stylish.

Comment by That girl — April 12, 2008 @ 10:23 pm

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