What is your day job?

Wow, I love reading some of these. Good thread.

I feel your pain. I also have a desk job, working for the Government, and it has taken my soul in exchange for an alrite paycheck.Aren't you considering writing as a creative full time job? Or believing in paying the bills as a writer is naivety?

Desk jockey in real estate. Pays the bills while I write on the side.

Teacher. As far as writing is concerned, I suppose you can say I get to see some real characters...

I work in food service. -___-'

Also freelance artist and university student -- I'm in school to be a French translator.

I work in the computer games industry.
It is nowhere near as fun as you would imagine it would be - not any more, anyway =/

Taking my CBT soon and seriously considering changing career in a few years to something a bit more mental, like dispatch riding. Assuming I don't become the next big thing in publishing, of course =D

Work Part time in a Mailroom. Very repetitious type of job, actually many ideas for my novel I get there being I don't really have to think about what I am doing much of the time. Initially when I graduated from college, I looked for a better full time job, but being that was hard to find I started this part time job. Now I enjoy it. Nice People. Gives me time to write before heading in there, I've had offers to work full time there, but I turned them down due to my desire to have the time to write and I think if I had a full time job, I wouldn't have the energy.

...clerk.

1+1=2
2+3=5
3+4=9

oops

Technical writer.

Unfortunately, everything has gone to contractors, so it's almost impossible for me to find regular work. Right now I'd take a glorified permanent clerical position over a contract tech writer just so I don't have to eat cat food when I'm old. I'm no spring chicken anymore.

Mama mama maMA! A year from September the older one will start kindergarten and the younger one will be old enough for preschool. I also run the household, which takes some doing.

Meanwhile, I write some articles for the local newspaper and magazines, and pick up little bits of other work when they happen along, all very, very part-time.

Pre-kids, I had a wide variety of day jobs, some of which were better than others. TEFL in China could have been good if it weren't so isolating, and if I'd stuck with it longer. Real estate sales was among the worst because I was always working on spec -- way too much stress, not to mention some of the annoying people I worked with (Most of them were fine, but a few were shuddersome).

I think that if I were physically up for it (starting to get a little old, here) farm work or landscaping might be a good day job -- low pay, but a nice seasonal rhythm in parts of the world where everything freezes up in winter. You wouldn't have any energy to spare in spring, but could cut back to part-time or light full-time in summer and fall, then have winters to hole up with your computer.

Reviewer.
Bookseller.
Author event coordinator.

I'm a full time student, but over the summer I'm a full time nanny. It's nice because there are several times during the day when I can get a few minutes to write (video game time, reading time, quiet time)

I work in the laundry room in a hotel. Used to be a housekeeper at the same hotel, but got offered to work in laundry. I get a lot more hours now, which also leaves me pretty exhausted since I'm the only one working in there five out of seven days of the week, and the other two are my days off. And this is our busy season and as of now down to one washer. I think they want to kill me.

Working stand-up comedian. It's draining because you're focusing on two very different creative things. Writing comedy and writing fiction is nothing at all alike.

Except that I think my skills as a fiction writer are improved by my ability to get rid of redundant words and keeping it short. Also, knowing that being precise and reducing the risk of misunderstandings is the key to all good writing.

Working as the Adjutant for the Operations Branch of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. Basically the admin and HR manager for about 225 people (military and civilian). You can just imagine this doesn't leave much room for daydreaming; hence the three scribble notebooks I transcribe at home every night.

Just coming to the tail end of the annual review period (ie read-correct-edit-send back for resubmission-read-correct-edit-submit-hope it passes formation check, for 225 people). Yeah, fun. Yeah, not really; my eyes hurt. For the past two months I've had absolutely SFA time for creative writing (other than the scribbles). My blog shows just how dormant that side of my life has been lately.

<ho-hum> Light at the end of the tunnel.

I work part time in a restaurant, about 25 hours a week. I get paid enough to pay most of my bills. I'd like to get a few more hours a week, but I like the 23 to 25 hour block because it leaves me lots of energy to write. When I worked a desk job at 40 hours a week, I had loads of money and no energy to write, and what I did write was pretty crappy. I have no idea how folks who work 40 or more hours a week manage to write well, my hat's off to you all.

Rhea said:

YeonAh, I know exactly what you mean. I am a translator (no fiction, strictly technical user manuals and occasional commercial texts), but I hear the similar thing all the time. "Oh, I know some English/Spanish/French - I'm gonna be a translator. How hard can it be?" Aarrghh! I can't tell the number of texts that I have read for terminology research puroposes that are translated so badly I want to grab my pitchfork and teach them a thing or two about using dictionaries, or, if it's too advanced, a beginners grammar book. /rant over/

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I feel your pain! I know french too, but that doesn't mean I can translate to/from it, or even think I can >< I'll gladly leave it to the experts rather than attempt and end up butchering the language.

"How hard can it be?" Yeah, you try and make a career out of it, come back and see me in a year.

robertbevan said:

college english teacher in korea. T minus one week till summer vacation. woo hoo!

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I SAW THIS. Robert, how's Korea? I've been debating learning a TESL course after college and going to teach in Korea for a year or two to get rid of the loan debt, but well...I'm not a teacher. I'm a designer. It's more that I want to go to Korea and not be totally broke /sigh. Hope you enjoy your vacation!!

I retired in my 40's to write and live off savings. So I'm a bum. It doesn't pay much, but the perks are amazing.

I'm loving the variety of walks of life in here.

Part of me is jealous of those who have more time to themselves, but I know from my experience of holidays that I'm not necessarily more productive when I have more free time, I just whine less (and play more games).

military officer, but more importantly - wife/MFA student/soon-to-be first time mom

It's in my profile.

Reference librarian. Supposed to be a youth/children's librarian, but life chose the reference desk!

willietheshakes said:

Reviewer.
Bookseller.
Author event coordinator.

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That sounds fun!

I do business analysis for a telecommunications company. Sales want to pursue an opportunity, I ensure that the solution makes sense strategically, that we can sell it profitably, and that sales do not do stupidness. (No, 1c of profit on a deal is not enough, we are not a charity).