Being My Own Boss

Today is a big day in the World of Julie. Today is the day I embark on a new stage of my life.

You see, Friday was my last official day of work with Lexicon, the custom publishing company I have worked for since before I graduated from Drake. It was a terrific place to work and not an easy place to leave behind, but after thinking long and hard I decided the time was right to make a change.

Now what?

Contrary to what Conservative Boy says, I will not be sitting on the couch all day eating bonbons and watching soaps. (I don't even really like bonbons or soaps, to be honest.) And although being my own boss does open up my schedule so that I can do things like run errands or mow the lawn during the day, I'm serious about moving my freelance writing and editing career into high gear. So I will be working—a lot.

I already have a few steady writing and editing gigs lined up, and I plan to seek out more. Plus I'm working on doing more online writing–not only on my personal blogs, but also for a new online venture I'll tell you about soon. (Sorry, I have to keep you hanging for a few more days!)

And I can promise that this blog won't turn into daily ramblings about the freelance life. That's because I've started another blog to focus on that topic. So, should you be interested in seeing what I'm up to professionally or want some info on the freelance life, just head over to Julie Tries Writing. I'll be posting there a couple of times a week.

And the other piece of the puzzle: grad school. I start environmental law today. It's a two-month summer class that will require a lot of my time, no doubt. Then, starting in the fall, I'll be working on my master's full time so that I can (hopefully) start my thesis at this point next year. That means I'll take at least 12 credit hours in the fall and summer semesters.

The good news? Starting in the fall, the rest of my school bills will be paid for thanks to a graduate assistantship. It's in the sociology/anthropology department at UIS and will involve some writing, editing, and marketing; some teaching and grading; some research; and who knows what else at this point. I've already met the faculty I'll work with, and they're great.

So see? No need to worry about poor jobless Julie. I'll be busy busy busy. Of course, there's still plenty of time for me to try new things, so stay tuned on that front. I have some fun stuff in store for you–promise.