Can Writing on Medium Replace Your Job?
Yes. But actually no.
When I started writing on Medium, I wasn’t making much money. In fact, once I joined the partner program in 2022, I earned just a few dollars my first month. The next month I made more. And then over time I made more and more. There were ups and downs, of course, but I was excited.
And it got me thinking: “could writing on Medium ever replace my day job?”
Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m a big supporter of people having jobs that they love. In fact, I hope you, dear reader, do like your job. But I acknowledge that many people don’t and are looking for something more in life.
As I pondered the question, I came to a rather resolved - if not confusing - answer: “yes, but no. Not really.”
Yes, Medium can provide job-quitting income for some.
It’s no secret that if you play your cards right, you can certainly be making hundreds or even thousands of dollars on Medium each month. How much you earn is based on a variety of factors, of course - most importantly how much time paying Medium members have spent reading your content.
I was shocked at just how quickly I started making money from the site, really. Even though I made less than $100 my first full month back in the partner program in 2022, I was impressed by just how quickly I was able to make a bit from writing. Pretty cool.
of SoloClub (and a tech YouTuber) wrote a great ebook in which he details his steps to earning a couple thousands dollars each month from the site. That’s pretty impressive. No doubt.And for many people, that’s easily job-quitting income. That would be enough for many people to pay the bills and have cash to spend on the side. Or, at least that would go a long way toward financial freedom.
However….
No, Medium can’t replace your job (or shouldn’t)
This is the tricky part, truly. Yes, Medium can earn you a hefty payday each month. I myself have been consistently making hundreds each month from my writing there, and I don’t even write every day.
But.
And that’s an important but.
But, the earnings aren’t consistent from month to month. One month you may be making $1,000. The next, you might get around $300.
Of course earning anything is great, but that kind of wild fluctuation is hard to bargain for, isn’t it? And it’s hard to budget for.
If I relied entirely on my Medium earnings, I would have taken a $700 hit out of my monthly budget from one month to the next.
Over the time I’ve been writing in earnest on Medium, I’ve seen just how fickle it can be from month to month. Some months you’ll do great and you’ll wonder where all the traffic and earnings came from. Others, you’ll wonder what went wrong and scratch your head thinking it’s all crashing down around you.
In reality, that kind of fluctuation is perfectly normal for Medium - and I’m not the only one who’s experienced it.
Medium could be part of your job-quitting strategy.
If you want to quit your day job and want to incorporate Medium into that strategy, go for it. If you follow my writing here on Substack, on Medium or on my main Side Hustle Road site, you know just how much I love writing on Medium (and recommend it to others). But on the other, I can’t recommend that anyone jump into it without a backup plan.
Treat it like a nice bonus payout - something that can help you earn a bit of extra cash. Not a full time job. Otherwise, you may find yourself disappointed in lean months.
What I would recommend instead is exploring lots of different ways to make money. Explore your interests. If you love to write, then write. I love writing, personally, and I highly recommend writing on Medium. But you should never be too tied to one platform. If you love writing, then certainly make Medium a part of your overall strategy. But don’t stop there.