Is This It?

2010 is looking like the year of new beginnings for me.

I am now once again a full-time student. Classes start March 8. And unlike the last time I thought I was going to be back in school, I have the financial aid award letter and my classes are scheduled. Anything that I thought would keep me from going to school has either been handled, or is in the process of being handled.

Now, I'm faced with the thought that I'll need to start back helping with the bills. And I don't want to just be in school for the next two years without generating any income.

I'm considering the thought of completely monetizing my blog and taking it to an even better place than it used to be.

Scratch the "considering" part. I am going to do it.

Initially, my idea was to give this blog credit where credit was due and allow it to die peacefully and quietly like so many other blogs do. I was going to move to Wordpress and start fresh with a new layout, tweaked writing style, and new content.

Further thought, however, has enlightened me to the fact that I shouldn't reinvent the wheel if at all possible. This blog, if nothing else, has age. I've been doing this for almost 3 years. Not only do I have some experience writing for an audience, but the age makes it a very dependable site when I'm trying to add some affiliate links or other revenue outlets.

It's easy for me to talk myself out of doing this...it's taking a risk, and a gamble at that. I'm not exactly sheltered from life anymore. My essentials are being taken care of, but now I'm significantly more responsible for them than I was when I was living with my grandmother. On the other hand, though, finding a job now, with the prospect of me starting school so soon, is seeming like less and less of a good idea. The whole reason I've gone back to school is because I wanted to be able to get a better job than what I'm currently qualified for. I don't want to spend all my time working terrible jobs that I hate just for a little pocket change. I'd rather spend my time doing something I love to do and allow the money to follow.

At least now, I have about a month and a half to start revamping this blog, finding and adding revenue, and creating valuable content that will actually attract and keep readers (shouts out to my loyal fellow bloggers who have stuck with me this far...I promise you'll see rewards for it in the near future!).

I don't expect to come out the box making thousands or even hundreds of dollars a month. That's unrealistic. But I do believe that if I keep at it, keep my eyes open for new opportunities, and remain true to the new purpose of this blog (and to myself), then maybe within a year I'll be generating enough income to not feel so bad about pursuing my dreams right now when things aren't quite settled at home yet.

I'd like to again thank everybody who has traveled this far with me, and I hope to see you all again on the other side of the blog!