Writing, a Full Time Income or a Hobby

As some of you know, I have decided to go back to school. Originally the plan was to go to nursing school so that I would have a back up plan in case I failed at writing. The more I thought about it though, I realized that I have been writing for over a year now! Granted there have been some rough patches, (and being a single mom they are super rough!) but we got through it. I still plan to go back to school, but I've changed to an English major and decided to take classes that will make me a better writer. (I need to work on my grammar, bad!) In light of this, I decided to list what I have found to be the pros and cons of a career as a freelance writer. Hopefully, it will help some other people decide whether writing is a career or a hobby for them.

Pros:

One of the biggest pros for me is the fact that I can work from home and not send the girls to daycare. I enjoy being there for them when they need me and love the fact that I'm not paying someone to raise my girls. I also like the fact that I can work whenever I want. I always hated having a set schedule and with freelance writing I can easily decide whether or not I feel like working that day. Granted if you NEVER feel like working, you will NEVER make any money, but I don't have to schedule appointments around a job, I can schedule my work around my appointments. I also love the fact that I pretty much control my income. If I need more money, I simply write more articles. It's way better than waiting for a yearly raise to come around.

Cons:

Just like with any other job, there are bad parts to freelance writing as well. For me probably the biggest problem is trying to work with the kids home. There are days that it just doesn't get done and this summer has been really hard on us. However, having them home outweighs my lack of current income, by far. Another problem with freelance writing is when you are looking for work. There are times I can spend a whole day just applying to work on projects. It can be time consuming and as a freelance writer, you are not getting paid unless you are writing. The last thing for me is health insurance. I miss being able to pay $25 when I took the girls to the doctor. While I have purchased health insurance for them, the health insurance I had from work was MUCH better! Luckily, they are past the age where they need a lot of shots so we aren't at the doctor nearly as much!

What about you? What are your pros and cons? Do you write full time or is it a hobby?