It's been touched upon and keeping an open mind is super important.
You never know what you'll end up doing and it might be great, so don't get tunnel vision for one thing. You guys remember the blog. I was doing that for a bit and trying to break into journalism (I majored in English with a heavy focus on analytical writing). But even though I was enjoying that, I still wanted another plan just in case so I started advertising to start my own tutoring/freelance business. I tutor writing, I do freelance editing, and I do freelance typewriting (More on that later). That was the backup plan initially but ended up taking off and that's what I do now.
And here's another important thing to remember: nobody hired me to blog. Nobody hired me to tutor. I just did it. You don't need a "job, job" to make a living. Go out, do the legwork, and find a way to monetize your skills on your own. Working for yourself can be great. If I'm not feeling good, I don't go in. I hate getting up at 6am, so I start later. I hate working Fridays, so I don't work Fridays. I want a vacation? I take one. I'm not saying you abuse it and never work, but it's just nice, every now and then, to not have to get on your knees and ask a boss to do something.
That said, there's downsides to working for yourself. There's no benefits so you have to worry about healthcare and retirement on your own. Also, hours change per the needs of your clients, so getting in a routine is impossible.
That's why -and this goes back to keeping an open mind- I have other options in mind in case I decide I don't want to freelance for the rest of my life. More conventional 9-5 stuff. That's where the typewriting field comes in, and this is good for all my English majors. Basically, anybody who does any kind of work needs **** written down and nobody wants to do it. So I've done this on a freelance basis. I've had people come to me for terms and conditions. I've had people writing books who wants me to supply blurbs and intros to each chapter (which you get credited for). I even had a lawyer who told me he was tired of reading legal books, so he had me read them and write up easy-to-read summaries. That was a lucrative project, let me tell you. But you can also do typewriting in a "9-5" setting. Hospitals, businesses, major websites, and law firms have **** frerakin tons of paperwork - invoices, legal ****, forms, disclaimers- and they hire people like me to do that. That would be going to an office and having a boss. A real "job" should I decide to go that route. Basically I'd get paid -pretty ****ing decent money too- to show up and do paperwork. Doesn't sound exciting I know, but hey it's good money and it's easy for me. That's the real American dream - get paid to do something that doesn't kill you. Doesn't have to be glamorous; doesn't have to be a dream job.
Also, keep in mind that there's good jobs out there, that aren't necessarily what you went to school for, that are still good. My cousin is in a field where all you have to do is pass a test and have a degree. He would help me with the test. Has nothing to do with writing, but hey, 35 bucks an hour, union rights, and full benefits. Plus I wouldn't absolutely hate it, which again, is the whole key.
So to summarize
1)Be open-minded
2)You don't need a boss, an office, or a schedule to monetize your skills
3)It doesn't need to be your field necessarily
4)Always have another plan. Not every job works out.
5)It doesn't need to be a dream job. Even at jobs we like we all have days we don't wanna go to work. That's part of life. Your family and your hobbies are really what's important. Just get something that you can tolerate that doesn't take away from your family and your hobbies. DON'T DO SOMETHING YOU HATE. But it doesn't need to be the world's most exciting job.
