Problogging Ain’t Easy, So Forget What They Tell Ya

By ryancaldwellBlogging

There’s a lot of money made surrounding the idea that anyone can easily make five figures as a problogger. That’s a blatant myth. And it very well maybe one of the greatest v-Myths (virtual myths) ever sent ’round the Neterwebs.

If you’re considering the possibility of becoming a problogger and making a living for the rest of your life from the comfort of your own home, you need to take a long, hard, sobering look at yourself and ask whether you’ve got what it takes.

Oh, you haven’t heard about the hardships of making it as a problogger? Not sure what it takes?

Then check out this killer article called Con’s of Being a Problogger

8 thoughts on “Problogging Ain’t Easy, So Forget What They Tell Ya”

  1. that’s true. It is about building value- laterally and in a long-term sense – it’s not just about short-term earnings.

  2. Brett lays out it out dude. Brett gives us the wise verse of the month:

    “[problogging] is entirely comprised of things that add value to my company(by extension my customers and partners), my interests, and my life.”

  3. As far as I’m concerned, the benefits far outweigh the risk. I did the commute into a New York City office every day and prefer the solitude and lack of exercise over the politics and hour long train ride, any day. It’s hard sometimes to be along for long periods of time, but when that happens I find things to do that involve people. I belong to community organizations, I volunteer to do things with my son’s school or I take the laptop to the library or the park or coffee shop.

    There are lots of distractions, the biggest for me is the Internet. I don’t turn on the television, I try to stay away from the fridge and my friends and family know not to call me during school hours because I’m working. Convincing others you actually have a job is the hardest part, I think.

    I also find I work more hours at this than I did as an Editorial Assistant. I think work at homes tell ourselves that if we have free time, we must be working. Plus I have this problem with turning down work, I can’t do it. I think it’ll require a 12-step program or something.

    I do think you need to have a particular personality to do this full time. But as someone whose worked at home for five years, I can tell you there’s no place I’d rather be.

  4. Hello!
    How much you are drwing from Problogger per month?
    Since my blogs are not much age, they are not accept my blogs.

  5. The only thing that rang true for me was the personality traits (and that probably doesn’t ring true across the board.)

    I came out of a six figure a year corporate job into problogging, and I lived and breathed all of those same cons in the corporate world. You have to be just as adept and independent in the corporate world to be successful. If you are not, odds are you are on the next layoff list. Odds are that even if you are that independent you are still on the next layoff list (unless you are writing the list, then someone is probably gunning to force you to take an early retirement).

    Anyone in the corporate arena that isn’t spending 12 hours a day working 5-6 days a week is also likely to find themselves on the next layoff list also. (note layoffs are a big part about corporate life and one of the fears that probloggers do not need to contend with. A contract might dry up, you might get fired from a contract. Someone might even skip town/discussion group etc and you may lose some cash but you are not going to get laid off from being a blogger. That enables a fearless attitude that is unrivaled possibly in any other industry outside of rattle snake wrangling.

    Personally, I’ve lost 30 pounds (gained 10 back again) since leaving the corporate life style. It helps not working in a high rise over an Emiril’s restaraunt. It helps a lot more because I do not waste 3 hours of my life everyday commuting to work eating donuts along the way and drinking 2-3 sodas en route. Balancing life and work is something that everyone has to do and isn’t something unique to bloggers.

    I can pack up and work almost anywhere in the US where I have an internet connection. I could do that in the corporate world too, but corporations have this inordinate desire to sit everyone down in rooms for 7-9 hours per day where they lament about problems that are not being fixed and are behind schedule as opposed to leaving those rooms and heading back to an office to fix or build something.

    When I left the corporate world, I found myself with a spare 10 hours per day. I did the same amount of work that I used to in my corporate life as I did as a consultant and I got all that work done in about 2-3 hours. I needed to fill all this spare time with something productive.

    -> Enter Blogging!

    Now, I have a full schedule again, but its entirely comprised of things that add value to my company(by extension my customers and partners), my interests, and my life.

    Let me repeat that because its key.

    I’m building value for myself. I spent a lot of years building value for stockholders that paid a salary that never matched up to the work and results I provided (not even close). Sure I would get lots of raises, promotions and bonuses, but that’s really mostly like getting a tip. When I earn $5 today, I’ve really earned $5. When I earn $1000 today I’ve really earned $1000. When I earn $50,000 today, I’ve earned that $50,000.

    When I put forth $1000 worth of effort, I don’t get $100, I get $1,000.(note I’m holistically nice and don’t over charge – ever!)

    I can still work too many hours and work too hard, but I would do that anywhere under any conditions. But now I do it for me as opposed to a stockholder somewhere that doesn’t even know what’s going on. As the global economy was recently explained, the playing field has been leveled. The stockholders better watch out, there is a very large movement underway. Business is going Private, blogging is just an example.

  6. Nice to see someone tell the truth. Much of what was said in that article could be applied to any area of online work (re: working for self), but with blogging (unlike static sites, etc)- one really cannot take too much time off and one characteristic that I find amazing with the “pros” is the sheer consistency and tenacity shown every day, come rain or shine. I wrote about this before on JOAB and was castigated for it- but it is still my opinion that the likes of Darren Rowse would be making 5 x what they do via “pro blogging”- in any “normal” job area. The threshold of expectation, apart from being founded on a “con” (something for nothing…), is also very low. In most Western countries, six figures USD- after taxes- doesn’t provide a life of luxury exactly; esp. if you have a family to support. Five figures…well, ahem….dammit…my bro makes $200k+ per year being a pompous twit selling wine.

  7. I am now working hard to become a problogger… Thanks for the article… I will succeed!

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