Tired of endlessly searching for jobs that don't exist, finding things that turn out to be scams, or filling out applications with no results? It's easier than you think to end the stress now and create your own career for free! Here's 5 ways to get started today!

Become A Freelance Web Writer

If you're a wordsmith, this is the career for you! Watch out for scammers and never pay for work. But there are plenty of companies and individuals willing to pay you for your work. Just take a search online for freelance writer gigs. They're everywhere. Need some guidance? Check out our free gig list to get started right away!

Propose Your Own Position In A Company You Love

If you see a need within a company you love that you can fulfill, don’t be afraid to let them know! All you have to do is create a cover letter and proposal, outlining what is needed, why, and how you can help. Also attach your applicable resume and experience. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t listing a similar position as available. Sometimes people don’t realize they have a need until it’s brought to their attention. I’ve done this successfully before and worked with that company for years after being accepted, so if you need help, let me know via the contact form.

Make A Product And Sell It Online

This is one of the many successful ways we take care of our family. We make unique handcrafted items and sell them in our online store. Simply create a site with Weebly and set up your PayPal and you can start getting paid today! Feel free to hit me up using the contact form if you need help with website design and creation, spreading the word about your product, or if you have other questions.

Go Bargain Hunting And Resell The Items

This one can actually be quite fun. We do it often. Go hunting around to thrift stores, Craigslist, yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, and more for discounted or free items. Upcycle them into new projects or simply clean them up and sell them as is for a profit. You can sell these items on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and even reseller apps, like Vinted. Yard sales are great for this too. Just remember your local laws regarding counting your yard sales as taxable income. If you get good at it, you may even be able to open your own physical store, if that’s your desire.

Start An Informational Website Or Blog

You read blogs, articles, and website info all the time, right? So do a lot of people. That’s why this is profitable. How can you make money doing this? It’s simple. Start your own website using Weebly (maybe even integrate it with a store if you also choose to create a store), sign up for ad revenue and affiliate programs, plop those ads on it, and get some info on it that people would be interested to know.

Be sure to be authentic and don’t just put anything there. Make sure it’s uniquely you and quality stuff people actually would want to see. Every time people interact with the ads, you can get paid. Take a look at the site you’re on. We’re doing exactly that. Amazon Associates is our personal favorite. Be creative and do it your own way. If you need help, remember we offer Expert Publicity & Consultation and many web services. Running websites is something we can do with our eyes closed, we’ve been doing it so long!

Have questions or more ideas? Feel free to share with everyone in the comment section below!

Freelance writing and life in general can be full of surprises. While I advise all writers to always have a plan they can execute, I also recommend being open to change.

You can plan, organize, and prepare for your career all you want. But sometimes, that career (or even another) will take you down another (possibly better suited) path. But that can only happen if you are open to change.

Change happens.

Sometimes life puts you on unexpected journeys - things you didn't plan - that end up being the some of the best things that have ever happened to you.

That's what happened to me. I had all these huge plans for my writing and an idea of the direction I was going in. Even though I was happy with that plan and enjoying what I was doing as a freelance writer, something else pulled me in a related (but different) direction.

Because of my own personal successes, I had become a mentor among my peers. In freelance writing, this can happen quite often, as writers tend to be very supportive in my experience.

It had become a natural thing for me to help other freelance writers at the venue I contributed to the most, Yahoo! Contributor Network. While I was helping people, I didn't always think of that as a potential career. It was just something I enjoyed doing.

But eventually, that's exactly what it turned out to be. For the past couple months, I've been enjoying my new role as Community Advocate at the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

Am I still writing? Of course! I'm a writer. It's what I do. But so is helping people - and now I have a position that allows room for both.

Will I still be running all of my websites? Do you really have to ask? You bet I am. While I won't be taking on the majority of writing assignments requested through my two writing sites, not to worry. Jaipi Sixbear (my talented mother) and several independent writers in my circle of professional friends are available to take on those projects.

While my role has changed, I am still the same me, always eager to help and always writing!

When life throws new things your way, don't be afraid to grab on and take a ride. Don’t run from change. Use it to your advantage. Adapt and grow as writer and as a person. You never know where change will lead you. It took me to a very happy place and I am looking forward to whatever's next. How about you?

UPDATE: 10/19/2016 -- Since YCN closed its doors in July of 2014, I've continued my writing advocacy in other ways, such as through the Write W.A.V.E.  Media network (as always)! As I stated above, things are always changing and evolving. You just gotta roll with it!

"Mommy are we there?" "Not yet."

"Excuse me Mr. Boss Man, is it time for that promotion?" "Not yet."

If no matter what you ask these days, it seems like "not yet" is the answer, read on.

"Not yet" has been my life story for..well, probably my whole life. Once I became an adult and started working, "not yet" was often the answer when it came to living my dream - or what I thought was my dream at the time.

I am finally starting to live my dream after years and years of "not yet". It hasn't been easy getting here. But now I realize all those "not yet" answers happened for a reason.

Some of those things I wanted then are not at all what I would want now. Some of them, I did get, just  at a different time than expected. No matter how much you 'know' you want something right now, if the answer you're getting is a "not yet" there is good reason, even if you don't know it yet.

Have I lived out all my dreams? "Not yet."

Is my career exactly where I want it? "Not yet." While I do enjoy what I do, there are still some related things I want to pursue, such as expanding upon my network of sites, getting the RV  going again  for a F/T travel writer's life,  and so much more.

But instead of dwelling on the "not yet," I am enjoying the here and now, in realization that there is a reason and a season for everything. Enjoy what you have while you have it and make the best of it.

The "not yet" you are hoping for could happen any second or another "not yet" that's even more awesome could be right around the corner.

Listen to Corrine Bailey Rae. "You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow." If it hasn't happened yet, there's a reason. Relax and let it flow.