From a Career in Tech to Professional Writer: A Full-Circle Journey

I never thought I could make a career out of writing.

I graduated from college with an English degree, with no intention of ever using my writing skills. I chose that field of study because I loved to write. Back then, a college degree was a prerequisite for many of the “good jobs,” even though the exact major didn’t matter so much. I was able to spend four years reading and writing my way through my classes.

At the time, the only viable career choices for actual writers seemed to be “write a novel” or “work for a news publication.” Neither were appealing to me. I didn’t have a story inside me, and working as a journalist seemed to be low-paying.

Instead, I went into tech, spending 15 years at a software company. I kept writing. Without knowing it, I was building the foundation for a career in writing. I did some things right; some things wrong. But the interesting part of this story is that I never planned to be a professional writer, in all those years.

And now I am.

Writing while working at a job in tech

Anyone will tell you that the ability to write well will enhance any career, and it’s true. I could communicate clearly with colleagues and customers.

But my first foray into writing for my employer was creating user guides. Some guides existed, but they were terrible. A few weeks into my new job, I offered to rewrite them. This turned into a monumental task, with the guides eventually reaching hundreds of pages.

Was it interesting writing? Not at all. The only creative decisions I made were around the guides’ organization. I was writing for clarity.

A few years into the role, I started a quarterly company newsletter. This allowed me to infuse a bit more creativity, but not much. I also wrote for the company’s blog.

Outside of my job, I was writing a lot. When my son was born in 2009, I started a “mommy blog.” I posted updates about life with an infant several times per week, sharing the links on Facebook. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I would get “discovered” like some of the major bloggers at the time (Glennon Doyle, Jen Hatmaker, and The Bloggess).

None of my posts ever went viral. Admittedly, I knew nothing about writing on the internet and writing for an audience.

Eventually, I spun my writing off into a new blog — one that I still update to this day. What began as a deeply personal writing project, a way for me to process the stillbirth of my daughter, eventually became a way to connect with others who had experienced something similar. But, to this day, it’s still a personal project and not something I make money from.

Getting a job as a writer

I had no idea that writing could be a well-paying profession until I thought about changing careers in 2021.

I wanted to leave tech, but didn’t know what else I could do. I felt deeply underskilled, having spent my career at a small company that lagged behind its competitors.

Somehow I stumbled into content marketing. I’d never heard the term before. As it turns out, my years spent in tech gave me experiences that not many other writers had.

I spent about 18 months at marketing agencies with mediocre salaries, while my employers raked in millions of dollars from clients. I knew how much was being charged for my work — and the portion I received as compensation.

Eventually, I struck out on my own as a freelance writer. And my business has been very successful.

The writing I do now

It sometimes boggles my mind that people pay me to write, something I didn’t think was possible back in 2006 when I graduated from college.

Granted, writing online has changed drastically. What I do now may not have even been possible or sustainable back then, writing for pennies per word.

But I wonder where I’d be now if I’d taken that path.

Or if I’d taken the time to really examine the success of early online bloggers.

While I make a living from writing every day, it often doesn’t feel like my work. I’m writing for clients. Most of my clients are tech companies, so I’m relying on the knowledge from my prior career. Often, I’m ghostwriting. The results reflect the client’s needs, not my own ideas.

When I made the shift to content marketing and journalism, I began writing elsewhere online (Medium, Substack, a newsletter, and Gumroad). Do these things really make money yet? Nope! But I’ve learned more about building an audience and know that, outside of getting lucky and going viral), it will take time. I see incremental progress as a win.

I started with a love of writing and eventually came full circle, doing work I enjoy. But not work I love. I have a tiny gap left to fill to close the circle: getting paid for my work.

But now I’m determined. I can see the possibilities: the possibilities that didn’t exist when I was younger. And, if I’m being honest, I was too afraid to chase.

I see writers come and go online all the time. They’ll start to show up in my social feeds, engaging and sharing their work. A few months will pass and they’ll disappear, either because they lost interest or didn’t see any results.

I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve started to see momentum build from my work. New subscribers and followers are happening more frequently. People who want to read my work —and not solely my technical prowess or tips about tools and apps.

The pennies add up. The Gumroad downloads. The paid Substack readers.

I have a destination now, and I’m not going anywhere.

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