In my last blog post I mentioned how I quit Rockstar Games. If you missed it, a link to the post will be provided in the links below.

For today’s post, I talk about life after Rockstar. With no bachelor’s degree to fall back on and no book income to sustain me, where do we go from here?

After leaving Rockstar Games, I was lost. I didn’t know what to do with my life. Having a triple A video game company on your résumé is only useful if you want to work at another video game company. Saying you made video games doesn’t help you land a regular nine to five job. It wasn’t a “transferrable” skill.

I also had a second problem. I had skills in producing and editing videos, but I didn’t want to work for clients. And after finding out the reality of video game production, I didn’t want to make a game either. I wanted to turn writing into a career.

In February of 2018 I landed a job as a security officer at ETS. If you’ve ever encountered a security guard that is unfriendly, uneducated, or lazy, it is because they are being paid significantly less money than you.

You make more money packing boxes at Amazon than having CPR, fire safety, and emergency training as a security officer.

Not only do we get paid the least, we are also expected to be on campus during a state of emergency. Imagine driving your car during a blizzard for thirteen dollars an hour. And if a holiday came up where your services weren’t needed, you didn’t get paid.

When you go to work, you’re supposed to be MAKING money not losing it.

Something had to change.

In the TED talks video I am about to share with you. The presenter discusses making a chart that lists your fears instead of your goals. “If I don’t do this, what is the worst thing that will happen to me? What will I potentially miss out on?”

Give it a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J6jAC6XxAI

I made my list, and yeah, it was as scary as I thought.

I won’t share all my fears but here’s a small sample:

• What if I don’t go to the librarians conference in Atlantic City?
• What if I don’t send out my e-mail newsletters for fear of people unsubscribing?
• What if I can’t find a job in marketing, what do I do?
• What if I’m wasting time writing books because they will never turn a profit?

After writing out my fears, I then wrote the worst case scenario. In all of them, I ended up broke, unemployed, single, and a loser.

I got these same results if I stayed as a security officer at ETS.

So I quit!

But I’m not unemployed.

I have work, part-time work. I also might have some freelance gigs in the future. But these are to help me get through the spring and summer.

My real goal is to attend Rutgers University in the fall and get a bachelor’s in marketing.

I’ve already been accepted into the fall semester.

My fear setting goals showed me that if I didn’t go to Rutgers, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of the things I wanted to do.

Want to make a profit on your books? Learn how to market them.

Want to have a job that pays better than $13.00 an hour? Get a Bachelor’s.

Want marketing agencies to consider you for employment? Have a marketing portfolio.

And what’s the best way to make a marketing portfolio? Go to school where your assignment will be to create a portfolio.

All of these goals could be achieved with a proper education. For me, I never considered getting a bachelor’s because I thought I was going to do video for the rest of my life. The young me never considered having a better work/life balance.

So back to school it was!

All right, before I close off this blog, I suppose some of you are wondering what I’m writing next.

1. Of course there is another Silver Ninja project in the works. However, I’m thinking the next one will be a shorter story. Something around 20-40 thousand words. Think of it as an episode or TV special, rather than a movie.
   
2. The other project is an untitled dark fantasy novel. Dark fantasy means that it will feature scary monsters and frightening themes. Horror versus whimsical.
   
   In this novel, a woman rises from her grave and discovers an insatiable thirst for blood. Unlike most vampire stories, this is not a story of romance or ingratiating with a clan. This is a fable of a person struggling to retain their humanity. It’s also an epic adventure that will take the reader through crystal palaces, forgotten cities surrounded by water falls, and woods cursed by evil magic. If you want stories about scary vampires and werewolves, this will be the novel to read.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a release date for these books yet.

Until my writing provides a sustainable income, I have to prioritize school over writing.

If you want me to write these books sooner rather than later, you can help by buying a copy of A Bitter Winter for yourself or a friend. You can also leave a review on Amazon which helps promote more sales. I’d love to write stories for a living, but until that day comes I will have to continue the daily grind.

Last thing before I let you go.

I’ve got a newsletter now! If you want to read up on my progress or get non-blog related book news, sign up! It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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