Everyone Loves A Good Soul-Crushing Job

So, this whole "I want to be a full-time novelist and still make a lot of money" thing is pretty tricky. While I would love to stay home and write all day long (wouldn't we all?), there's that whole part about being a grown-up and needing to pay the bills. And two private universities and a year in Paris later - let me tell you, there are some bills to be paid.

But, let's just be completely frank and impractical for a minute. All of you writers out there, don't you just fantasize endlessly about landing that amazing contract that makes it possible for you to stay home and do what you love to do most instead of spending your days doing something you don't love, or even something that is just second best? I have to say, it's been on my mind a bit lately. Okay, it's always on my mind.

I will be the first to admit that I have a natural aversion to anything practical, especially the dreaded 9-5 desk job. I think pieces of my soul are still chained to the desks I've worked at in the past. And unfortunately, they're never coming back.

So as I've been pondering possible career paths I could take in addition to writing, I think I've found one that I'm actually excited about. This new career would be:

a) Stable
Gasp! Yes, friends, I'm actually going for stability now in my ripe old age of almost 29. I've been an adjunct French professor for the past few years, and when each semester is different and there are no guarantees on how many classes you will get, how much money you will bring home, what time you will have to work, how many miles you will drive to get to the ten campuses you are teaching at, etc, it is anything but stable. Fun and interesting? Yes. Something I could always do on the side? Yes. But lucrative and stable as a full-time career path? Unfortunately not.

b) Profitable
Okay, pretty much anything is more profitable than being a teacher . . . well, except for being a writer on the path to publication, but still, the new career path I'm thinking of is actually much higher-earning than teaching and will make me feel like I'm finally making use of all of those expensive college degrees!

c) Interesting
This new career would give me an unbelievable amount of juicy material for my books. Maybe even more than my family has given me! Whoa! I know, that doesn't seem possible, but it is. Of course I'd change names and details . . .

d) People-oriented
I will get to work with people all day long and actually help them in this new career. When I had a soul-crushing office job shortly after college graduation, I think the only person I helped was the little devil inside my stomach telling me to take another trip to the vending machine just so I wouldn't have to sit at that desk any longer and want to stab my eye out with a pencil to end the misery. But I digress . . .
 Anyway, I'll reveal more about the new possible career path if it actually comes to pass. It's something I've thought about off an on for a long time now, but putting the plan into motion will take some work. And like I said, writing still has to come first.

I'm not going to lie, my real hope is that I will decide on this new path and then get "the call" and say nevermind bitches, I'm going to be published! (Sorry for the profanity, I just had to say it:)