Since starting Office Breaks eighteen months ago, what I expected to be purely a fun hobby has challenged me in ways I’d never imagined. Addictive yet often maddeningly frustrating, the constant quest to win new fans and followers has enabled me to develop a whole new skill-set, not to mention a more creative outlook on life. If you’re still not convinced, here are my top five reasons why blogging could be your best career move yet.
Coleydude Blogging
1) It will boost your skill-set: from the technical side of setting up a blog, which I initially dreaded, through to search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media, your digital skill-set will expand in ways you never thought possible. With so much information readily available on the internet, the learning is all at your fingertips at no cost other than your time. (Check out bloggingwithAmy for a step-by-step guide to setting up a blog.) By 2017, Britain will need an estimated 750,000 skilled digital workers and with 27% of all job growth in London generated by the tech and digital sector, this is an opportunity not to be missed. Content marketing and SEO are two areas currently in demand where your blogging experience could really help.
2) It will set you apart from the competition: With 82% of employers using social media to recruit employees, having a professional online profile is more important than ever. Positioning yourself as an expert in a particular niche could not only get you noticed by potential employers but also open up a wider world of opportunities. One property auction blogger I know was offered a column in The Evening Standard while another specialist clock maker was approached for a book deal with a leading publisher as a direct result of his blog. Where will your blog take you?
Coleydude Blogging
3) It will unleash your creativity – If it seems there’s not much call for creativity in your job, maybe you’re missing a trick. Having a creative hobby outside work will not only provide vital respite from the day job but will also help to stimulate a more creative ways of thinking. Those much maligned office cliches “thinking outside the box” and “blue sky thinking” relate directly to your ability to find creative solutions to problems. As you constantly think up new content ideas to feed the blog beast, creative thinking will become second nature both in and out the office.
4)You’ll never stop learning: unlike many jobs where the learning curve peaks all-too-soon, the blogging world is constantly evolving and provides a continual challenge. Whether you want to learning vlogging (video blogging) or become a master at infographics, there is a constant stream of new developments to keep you on top of your game. From grappling with Google’s Pandas and Penguins through to constantly-evolving trends in style, content and post length, in the blogging world the learning never stops.
Coleydude Blogging
5) It can open the doors to self-employment – many successful bloggers use their new skills to go freelance in areas such as mentoring, coaching, SEO consultation, writing and photography. If you’ve ever got tired of a being pigeon-holed in one particular role at work, a freelance capsule career could be the answer. Many successful businesses have also been built on the back of blogs. Having already done the hard work of developing a solid readership, you now have a captive audience to sell products and services to. From online shops through to coaching and consultation, the options are endless.
Have you ever considered blogging? Share your good and bad experiences here.