Blogging Full-Time – 8 Reasons Why You Should Not

If you want to give up your day job and switch to blogging full-time, here are 8 reasons why you should reconsider.

The blogosphere is full of make money online blog posts. In fact we have published a few on this blog too. Some of these posts may even give the impression that online success can be achieved overnight. However, those who have started from scratch and have established profitable blogs advice on not quitting your job to work online full time, at least not immediately.

It took me two years of part-time blogging before I could generate meaningful income. It was only after two years of hard work, could I even begin to consider giving up my job to focus on my blog full-time.

Given below are eight compelling reasons why you should not give up your full time job to switch to full time blogging.

1. A Successful Blog Takes Longer than you think

With the rise in competition, it has become increasingly difficult to succeed in blogging quickly. Although some blogs have become successful in relatively short periods of time, competition has increased manifold. Those who succeed have done so through years of hard work and 10 hour working days. Most successful full time bloggers I know started blogging part time while holding full time jobs. It was only couple of years of effort and dedication, were they able to earn a decent income.

2. Discipline and Hard Work

There are many ways to make money from your website or blog. However it requires years or hard work and discipline in order to succeed.  You need to be consistent with all aspects of blogging including writing posts, SEO and more require consistent effort in order to achieve results. Moreover building your network on social media is vital and needs constant involvement. Not publishing any content or being inactive on social media one week or and putting in twice the work the next, will not produce expected results..

3. Multi-disciplinary Skills and Steep Learning Curve

There is a steep learning curve in blogging. Running your own blog requires developing expertise and honing your skills in multiple areas. Knowledge of your subject matter so you can write new content is not sufficient. You are unlikely to be in a position to hire someone or outsource your tasks to start with. You will need to familiarise yourself and then grow your skills in design, SEO, Internet marketing, social media and more.

You will have to try out new techniques and methods to see what works best for you. I was lucky as I had strong design, programming and overall technical skills. However there were many areas I had to learn and teach myself. It was only after my first year of blogging did I get a clear understanding of the process that worked best for me and had the potential to deliver the results I was expecting.

4. Lack of Stability

Unlike your standard job, income from blogging is not consistent or stable. One of your articles may go viral one week earning you decent revenue. This may be followed with 2 or 3 weeks of dull activity and low revenue. The spikes in revenue are likely to be prevalent and continue well into your first few years of blogging. This may have big impact till your earnings have surpassed your minimum threshold. If you are considering switching t full time blogging, it may be better to do so after stable earnings over a period of time.

5.  Uncertainty of Search Engine ranking

Blogs rely on a number of sources for traffic, including search engines. Search engine ranking will not only take time to build but is also based on factors beyond your control. There is no fixed time scale or technique for achieving this. You constantly measure your blog’s growth and identify what works best for you. How much time it takes for one site to rank favourably may be completely different to the time it takes you.

On the other hand search engines update their algorithms from time to time. The infamous Google panda update in mid 2011 saw a significant fall in  search engine ranking of many websites, even the established ones. The dynamic nature of search engines and the risks associated with ranking updates can have a huge impact on your blog. The volatility and uncertainty of search engines need to be considered before you switch to full-time

6. Personal Responsibilities

Whether or rather when should you give up your job and take up blogging full time depends on your personal circumstances and responsibilities. If you are young  and don’t have many financial responsibilities or personal commitments, it is easier to consider switching to full time blogging as soon  your site starts making below half of your current income. On the other hand if you are older and have personal commitment such as family and kids, it may not be wise to consider leaving your job and switching to full time blogging till you are able to demonstrate consistent income greater than your current income. Although this may seem obviuos, it is by far one the biggest concerns for considering blogging as a full time career option.

7. Risk of Burnout

Bloggers in particular suffer from a high risk of burnout. The long hours and hard work required to set up and maintain a blog can easily lead to burn outs. The actual impact of burn out differs from situation to situation however it is bound t o have a negative impact on your blogging efforts. It is also easy to get demotivated due to lack of achievements or results especially in the short term.

8. Lack of Initial Revenue Streams

Successful blogs rely on multiple advertising networks and revenue streams for their income, not just on Adsense. A significant share of income on leading high income blogs come from other sources such as direct banner advertisements, email advertising, sale of e-books, affiliate products, membership programmes, etc. How many of these income streams are only feasible for blogs that receive at least 30k to 50 k unique views. For new blogs, any income through blogging is generated mainly through AD click on programmes such as Adsense or affiliate products. However as traffic will low in your first year or two, these streams are not likely to generate significant income at least to start with. If you are working part-time on your blog this may not be a big issue however if you are a full time blogger, waiting 2 years may not be the best option.

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