How the Yahoo! Contributor Network Helped to Kick Start My Dream Career

I started writing for the Yahoo! Contributor Network back in January of 2009 (when it was still only known as Associated Content). The economy had recently and quite suddenly collapsed and I had been laid off from my job working at an automotive website where I blogged about news and events relating to the car industry. I had little hope and very little control over the course of my life and wondered if I would ever be able to make a full time living as a writer.

Although my main passion has always been writing about automobiles, being a part of the Yahoo! Contributor Network has allowed me to dabble in entertainment news coverage for omg! and share my passion as a "Glee" columnist for Yahoo! TV. This freedom to express myself in all of these different avenues has made it so I never feel burned out writing about just one topic.

In my first year I won an award for my automotive writing and that title allowed me to catch the eye of a number of auto manufacturers. Soon I started road testing new cars each week from automakers like Honda, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, VW, Audi, Mazda, Nissan, GM, Chrysler, Ford and many more. I have also been invited to press launches for Honda, Acura and VW as a result of my work with the Yahoo! Contributor Network. To say my dreams have come true because of working here is an understatement.

At the time of this writing I have had over 1.2 million page hits on my articles and am hugely proud of that accomplishment. The Yahoo! Contributor Network promotes and values my writing and they have given me exposure that has led to a number of outside freelance writing jobs with other publications. One such gig led me to a full-time position.

The automotive content that I published with the Yahoo! Contributor Network got me noticed by a major auto website called Autobytel.com. I started contributing to their site and I am very excited to say that now I work full time (on a freelance basis) with Autobytel.com as a car reviewer and contributor. This job truly never would have happened had I never found the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

Even though I now contribute to other sites more frequently, I am never going to quit writing for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. They are always very supportive of my articles and ensure that each one finds the readership it deserves. If you have a dream to make a full time living as a writer I couldn't recommend the Yahoo! Contributor Network any more highly.

I truly have a career now as an auto journalist that can never be taken away from me. Despite the fact that I was once unemployed, the Yahoo! Contributor Network allowed me to make up a job for myself. The only limiting factor has only ever been the depth and breadth of my imagination. So how far do you think the Yahoo! Contributor Network can take you?