"Over the past 17 years, I've worked my way from cold-calling as a sales rep to a Director of Sales. But after having kids I started craving a creative outlet and decided to start writing again in 2024. I didn't set out to make money from it. My first several pieces were unpaid personal stories for a parenting website. When the editor reached out and asked if I wanted to try freelancing,"
"I also started teaching American mahjong lessons, which brought in an additional $2,902. All in all, that's just over $33,000 before taxes. I love my side hustles, but I've had to make major trade-offs with my personal life and don't know if the work is sustainable. Taxes in the freelancing world are higher than in corporate jobs, so I take home a lower percentage of my earnings. Still, I'll probably net close to $20,000 from my side hustles in 2025."
I majored in journalism but built a 17-year career in tech sales, rising to Director of Sales. After having children, I returned to freelance journalism in 2024, initially publishing unpaid personal pieces and earning $8,995. In 2025, increased effort produced $30,411 from freelance articles and $2,902 from teaching American mahjong, totaling just over $33,000 before taxes. Freelance taxes reduce take-home pay; I expect to net about $20,000. The extra income funds discretionary spending and savings. I enjoy these side hustles but face major personal-life trade-offs and want better balance in 2026, even at lower earnings.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]