Today I’m going to be sharing the multiple jobs and multiple streams of income that I earn. Sometimes, not even my family can keep up with all of my different jobs so I’m gonna break it down and explain how a typical work week in my life looks like.
Let’s start with my full-time job. I am the Production Coordinator and Editor at The War Cry magazine at The Salvation Army National Headquarters. If you’ve known me for a while now you know that working for a magazine is my dream job and well there’s not a lot of magazines in the Northern Virginia area. You kind of take what you can get and I’m so happy I did. Even though I’m not currently working for glamorous fashion magazine, the opportunities and skill set at this job has given me I am extremely grateful for. Each month I share my work and my interviews that I get to do in this role. However the career path I chose is not the highest paying. It takes a while to earn a six figure salary working in journalism and publishing but that’s okay because I know I’ll get there one day. This is my full-time Monday through Friday job.
My biggest part time job is working as a photography assistant. I work with Abby Jiu Photography and Astrid Photography on the weekends during the wedding seasons (spring + fall). Except let’s be real, because of Covid this entire year is wedding season. I met Abby back in 2018 and I’ve been working for her and her team ever since. In fact that’s also how I met Astrid and now every weekend I get to learn about photography and wedding planning (which has come in handy with all of my friends weddings next year)! I have attended some of the most luxurious weddings and these two companies treat me so well. Sometimes depending on the month I make just as much as a photographer's assistant as I do at my full-time job! And when I inevitably move out of Northern Virginia, saying goodbye to the ladies will be the hardest goodbye!
I have also taken on some part-time social media and marketing roles. As a freelance social media manager I’ve worked with a few companies to manage their social platforms and spread awareness of their brand. These contracts average about 20 hours monthly and brought in a few hundred extra dollars. However, I recently (like literally yesterday) resigned from this position. Although I was grateful for the extra income, it was not something I needed and truthfully that job created a lot of anxiety in my life. No matter how much money a company pays—it’s definitely not worth the expense of your mental health.
Next up is my blog! I registered my brand as an LLC a few years ago which gave me an employee identification number that I have registered with the IRS and that is how I make money. Through a few different websites (Amazon, Shop Style Collective and Reward Style) I’m able to link my favorite products and every time someone clicks on that link and or purchases said item I receive a small commission from that. I also have a Google AdSense account, so whenever you see an ad on my blog that is linked through Google. And every time someone clicks on those ads I receive a small commission. These links are not a ton of money, I like to say its good gas or grocery money each month. Maybe one day when I have more followers I’ll get more clicks which will result in more commission. Another way I make money through my blog is through a program called Heartbeat where I am paid a fixed amount to talk about a brand on my Instagram account. And lastly, brand deals is another way to make money through social media. I have had the honor to work with a few brands such as Jord Watches, Gabe's, YesTo, Hempathy, Formulate and more! Brands are able to reach out or I reach out to them and in exchange for a blog post I receive a payment. Now all this sounds great and yes it’s true anyone can sign up and do this, but being authentic and only sharing products that I truly recommend is how I’m able to create a trusting brand. I go into more details about this in another blog post titled, "Why Numbers Matter & How You Can Help."
Amazon notebooks is another way that I have made a few extra bucks. I think we all saw the TikTok videos where you can create journals from Canva, upload them to Amazon Publishing and ta-da! So I did it and I've only sold a few to friends and family but still I don’t mind the passive income (passive income is income that requires minimal labor to earn and maintain).
Poshmark and Mercari is another way that I make some extra income! Cleaning out your closet and selling your clothes is a great way to make some extra cash. Currently, because of how crazy my life is at the moment I have no listings up but I did just send out FOUR bags to thredUP (thredUP is an online consignment and thrift store where you can buy and sell high-quality secondhand clothes). I think that selling your clothes and other items on Poshmark, Mercari or even Facebook Marketplace will give you more bang for your buck and Plato’s Closet—just saying!
Lastly, I just accepted (again like literally yesterday) a part-time seasonal position with the Washington Football Team. I will officially be a part of the 2021 Hype Team this season. This position gives me the opportunity to not only attend games for my favorite NFL team for free, but I am able to make connections and meet people who work in the social media and marketing departments as well. I’m really excited for this fun and new opportunity that gets me away from my computer and adds more to my skill set!
Though this is not a job that I get paid for, I simply wanted to include that I also volunteer at the local animal shelter. I have always had the biggest heart towards animals and being able to give what little time I do have to make these animals feel loved and special I am happy to give. Check out the Prince William Animal Shelter adoption list and let’s find these pets fur-ever home! 🐾
Phew! Honestly just typing out this long post made me exhausted. Sometimes I really don’t know how I juggle all of these things, but somehow it works and I know at the end of the day I’m benefiting my future!
