I once had to explain to an English Literature major at the local university that no, becoming a novelist wasn't a good fallback position if she couldn't find a job when she graduated....
And yes in the US healthcare is a nightmare for freelancers-- at least once a week I see a fundraising effort for a member of the extended sf&f literary community who doesn't have health insurance or is underinsured, and is now facing financial disaster.
Giving up the day job paycheck is theoretically possible, but the day job benefits such as healthcare and a retirement savings plan is a whole nother ballgame as they say. (Defined benefit pension plans went out of style a while ago, so even at major corporations you're only given the "invest your savings and hope Wall Street doesn't screw you" option).
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Date: 2013-05-24 10:57 am (UTC)And yes in the US healthcare is a nightmare for freelancers-- at least once a week I see a fundraising effort for a member of the extended sf&f literary community who doesn't have health insurance or is underinsured, and is now facing financial disaster.
Giving up the day job paycheck is theoretically possible, but the day job benefits such as healthcare and a retirement savings plan is a whole nother ballgame as they say. (Defined benefit pension plans went out of style a while ago, so even at major corporations you're only given the "invest your savings and hope Wall Street doesn't screw you" option).