Why I’m Going Back to Work Full-Time

I know I say this all of the time, but I can’t believe how quickly this summer has flown by! It seems like just yesterday I was pulling out my summer clothes from storage. Soon, I’ll be putting them away again. After all, school starts next week. Like, how?! Despite never wanting summer weather to end, I am excited that it’s September. September is about new beginnings and I’m ready for that. Last week, I mentioned that I was looking for a full-time job. I’ve been looking since about June and finally found something that feels like the right fit. So – the kids are going back to school next week and I’m going back to work.

I’ve been a full-time blogger and freelancer for about a year and while it’s been great, I feel like I’ve had the freedom to do anything. As you can imagine, there are a number of benefits to working for yourself. For instance, you don’t have a “boss,” you can make your own schedule, work from anywhere (including bed) and you’ll never have to commute. However, there’s no guaranteed income, and although I’ve been lucky, some months can be quite financially tough. To make sure I had some sort of income, I did invest in various stocks and shares. This investment really allowed me to pursue my career as a blogger because I knew I would have money coming in. I would really recommend checking out some best shares to buy now and investing like I have. That way, you know you always have some sort of finance to fall back on if anything goes pear-shaped. I had some friends in similar situations who even dabbled in the world of cryptocurrency investing. A few of them used Bitcoin Trader anmelden to get started and are still successfully investing today.

There’s no doubt in my mind that going back to work full-time will be an adjustment. Even though it’s only been a year, it feels like ages since I’ve had a full-time job! I think it’s because a lot has changed in my life over the past year. I’ve moved to a new home, a few of my closest friends have had babies, and of course, I met my boyfriend, Matt. A lot can happen in a year!

So, why the heck am I going back to work?

There’s a number of reasons, but here are a few of the main ones.

Money.

I’ll be honest. One of the biggest reasons I’ve decided to go back to work is because of the paycheque. Of course, I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to turn my blog into a business. I get to work with amazing people and promote some of the brands that I love. It’s so much fun to create content and get paid for it!

All of that said, it’s not enough money. My reach isn’t large enough to be making 6 or 7 figures from my blog and it probably never will be. Despite not being a ‘big-time’ blogger, there’s still a lot of work that I turn away. Trust me, it hurts to turn down paid work, but it happens more than you’d think.

Sometimes, the compensation isn’t enough for the amount of work required to complete a campaign. Other times, I just don’t feel comfortable endorsing a product. For instance, a company recently reached out, wanting me to promote a line of hair products that I’ve never tried. They needed a commitment before trying out the products! Um…no, thanks. I take a lot of pride in only promoting products I truly believe in – whether it’s a paid campaign or not. That just felt shady to me.

At the end of the day, I have goals in life and unfortunately, you need money to achieve a lot of them. It’s been ages since I’ve been able to travel. I want to move out someday! Eventually, I’ll need a new car, laptop, camera, etc…and at this point, I can’t afford those things. Heck, I feel guilty when I want to buy anything these days!

Passion.

There’s no doubt that I love blogging and being a content creator. If I didn’t love it, there’s no way I’d still be doing this four and a half years later.

But, there’s a lot of bloggers out there who are always “on”. With almost everything they do in life, they think about creating content for their blogs and social channels. Granted, I do all of these things too, but not nearly to the extent that a lot of bloggers do. I find it exhausting to live that way!

When I’m glued to my phone, I feel disconnected from real life. And I don’t like feeling that way. Maybe other people are more passionate than I am?

Instagram Fatigue.

It’s no secret that Instagram has being driving a lot of bloggers nuts lately. Changes to the algorithm have been a constant source of frustration. I know that some people were losing followers and their content wasn’t being seen so they used services like Growthoid to overcome the changes.

I’m so proud of the growth I’ve seen on my Instagram account over the years. I was over the moon when I reached 10k followers (and wrote a post on how I got there). But, over the last few months, things have been different. My following plateaued at 13.5k and over the last few weeks, it’s been steadily decreasing. I know there’s more to Instagram than just the numbers, but that doesn’t make it any less disheartening. And of course, we all know that (to an extent), numbers do matter.

Because the numbers matter, there are people who will try just about anything to grow. People will buy likes, followers and comments. It’s something easy to do if you follow this How to Get 1K Followers on Instagram in 5 Minutes: 2021 Guide. They will join comment pods to increase their engagement. Or, they participate in loop giveaways. I’m tired of all of these types of tactics. I’m also tired of how many ads I see on my feed and the fact that Instagram hides a bunch of content that I want to see.

Furthermore, I’m bored by all of the sponsored posts. Granted, I do sponsored posts too. It’s how I make money from Instagram. But – like everything in life, moderation is key. There’s so many influencers/bloggers/whatever you want to call us, who post primarily sponsored content. I don’t know about you, but when every post is sponsored, I have a hard time really trusting and getting to know that person. Also, when you’re a fashion blogger and you start endorsing toilet paper and smartphones more than you talk about fashion…it’s like, really?

When I take on partnerships with brands, my goal is quality over quantity.

(Oh – and I’m clearly not leaving Instagram any time soon. I just wanted to explain why I’m falling out of love with it lately.)

Feeling Fake.

I started Something About That because I wanted to share my love of fashion (and lifestyle).

These days, it’s rare that I dress remotely fashionable! Unless I have a meeting or event to go to, I don’t wear my cute clothes. Also, because money is tight, I don’t shop as much as I used to. I miss being able to shop without feeling guilty every time I make a purchase! And no, I would never buy something, shoot it and then proceed to return it.

What does this mean for Something About That?

Nothing, really! I still plan to keep my blog going and to be honest, you probably won’t notice much of a difference. It’s not like I’ve ever been a 5 posts a week kind of blogger…

Outfit Details:

Blazer (Similar option for fall) | Tank (Similar) | Jeans c/o Mott & Bow | Sunglasses c/o Clearly.ca | Scarf (Similar) | Purse (Similar)

I just wanted to add a quick note about these jeans. They were gifted to me from a brand called Mott & Bow. They didn’t sponsor this post, nor did they require I feature them. That being said, I really love the jeans!! They fit me perfectly, feel like great quality and were available in a short inseam that works with my petite frame. They’re also very reasonably priced, so check them out!

See Also: The Sherpa Denim Jacket That is a Must-Have For Fall and The Cosiest Jacket Ever