In January, I received an unsettling phone call late at night. The magazine I worked as the features editor for was shutting down. The entire staff was laid off. My immediate emotions were shock and sadness. But I also knew this could happen when working in such a volatile industry.
At 28, I was still at the beginning of my career. I envisioned becoming a full-time freelance writer one day, but I always thought I'd wait until I had more years behind me. But jobs were sparse, and freelancing would allow me to take control of my future. I decided to do it.