I've Finally Figured Out How to Make More Money!

I really didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was a child, I decided that I wanted to be a nurse because I liked their white dresses with those cute matching hats. Well, let's just say that I had a change of heart once I realized that handling needles was in the job description and that I could potentially stain my nice white dress. Some years later, I landed my first retail gig, utilizing all of the knowledge that was shared from those around me. I was taught to work hard, attend college, save money, and at some point, I could retire with a decent amount of money. After many years of retail management, I was going to either be a District Manager or work in a corporate environment, but that didn't work out as planned either. I decided that I no longer wanted to be promoted beyond Store Manager status. As a result, I ended up being an adult who was simply working without a real career goal! I didn't know where my career was going and I certainly didn't have the nest egg that I'd estimated, so I had to make some changes-FAST!

Honestly, what I was taught wasn't bad advice; it's just that there was so much more to learn. I still needed to work and save, but I acknowledged that I needed to do things differently. I'd heard someone say that you should find what it is that you love and make money doing it. Fast forward many years later and I am doing just that. While I still work full-time, I recognize that employers never give me the raise that I want nor feel that I deserve. So, I've finally figured out what my dream job is AND I also figured out how to supplement my income while maintaining my 9-5. If you aren't sure of what you want to do in terms of career, takes steps to pursue your dreams and your passion. Here's what has worked for me:

*I started my own business. I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur growing up. It wasn't until I realized that working for many years didn't yield my desired financial results that I decided to pursue my passion. I purchased books, did some research, and started my process until my website went live last year. If you're not sure where to go for information, the US Small Business Administration is a great place to start gathering information. If you need to be mentored or you'd like to attend an online workshop, both of these resources and more are free, thanks to an organization called SCORE.

*I became a Yahoo! Contributor. I am always writing, whether it's a list of to do's, my vision and goals, or simply another entry in my journal. I realized that not only am I passionate about career, but that I truly enjoy writing. It makes sense that I would pair career coaching with writing to produce articles that can assist those in the workforce. There's a variety of ways to earn money as a writer and this is one of them.

*I launched a blog, free of charge where I can display articles in Spanish. I had no idea that you can earn money from a blog, but there are people earning millions who maintain blogs. While my blog tackles career topics, I have friends who love entertainment news, sports, cooking, shopping, etc and some of them have started blogs to supplement their income.

In order to make more money, I needed to also save. I am not the best saver or investor, but I do understand what it means to make money with my existing funds. I've closed some accounts and opened new ones after comparing interest rates so that I earn more while I save. Last but not least, you have to identify your obstacles and think outside of the box. Would you rather do the same things and get the same results or is it worth it to try something new? In doing so, doors could open that you've never imagined and you can also make more money in the process.

More from this contributor:

How to Reinvent Yourself

Do I Really Need A Mentor?

The Employee You Don't Want to Become