Assuming I don't get better at marketing my books, I'll probably have to return to working for someone else at some point in the next few years. (This is not a surprise — I quit my last job when my writing income was just barely above zero, knowing I'd likely have to go back when the money ran out. My writing income is higher now, but still not enough to live on.)
The real question now — because this isn't an emergency — is: what do I want to do?
I actually liked writing software for the puzzle aspect of it all, but there's just so much baggage with the environment that I doubt I'll ever work in the field again. First off, I'm not spending hours every day in my car. I just can't. And I'd rather work part-time, which is a near impossibility in the field.
But I've changed careers before. No, I will never go back to being a veterinarian, if only because I haven't maintained my license. (That's actually reason number 47, but it's the easiest to articulate.)
This feels a bit like being in high school and trying to decide what to do with my life. Except a little lower stress because I'm old enough to know that I can always change my mind later.
So... Developmental editor for fiction? Overnight grocery stocker? Barista? (I'd probably be terrible at that last one.)
Maybe I should just get better at marketing my books...
