As some of you may know, from 2008 through 2018 I was employed as the Senior Editor of the now defunct New England Antiques Journal, owned by Turley Publications. During my time there, I had the privilege of working with Jennifer Grybowski. More recently, I’ve hired Jennifer as a beta reader, proofreader and editor for my fiction work, and continue to do so. I would recommend her without reservation.

But there’s more to this story. In 2017, Jennifer left Turley Publications to pursue an MFA at Southern New Hampshire University, and graduated in 2019. The hope, of course, was that she would open the doors to better employment opportunities. It hasn’t worked out that way. Here, in her own words, as posted recently on LinkedIn, is Jennifer’s story:

Brutally honest post warning

My day job is as an elementary school secretary in Western Mass. I make under $40,000 a year.

I am a single mom. $40,000 is not a lot.

I decided the best way to elevate my daughter and I out of our financial position was to go back to school so I could get a better job.

I enrolled in SNHU and worked my tush off to earn a master’s degree. With it, I also earned $37,000 in debt.

I graduated, and spent the next 18 months looking for a job. More than 150 applications later – plus networking and outreach – I had nothing.

So last March I started freelance writing and editing. I worked on my lunch breaks, well into the night, and even early in the morning. I saved every penny.

Today, I was able to plunk down $10,000 on my student loans. I’m ridiculously proud of myself.

I still have $25,000 left to pay on a degree that has gotten me nowhere. So I’m still searching for a job (DM me!), and yes, I’m still accepting freelance work.

But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank every person who sent me an assignment, who was gracious about me rushing through a call on my lunch break, who agreed to Zoom with me after 8 p.m. Without you all, I wouldn’t have made it.

Jennifer Grybowski is a New England-based journalist, writer, and editor who has been working in the industry for 20 years. She holds a BA in Communications, a MFA in Creative Writing and an Online Teaching of Writing Certificate. She is searching for full-time employment, but is also accepting freelance work. Her digital portfolio includes current Profiles, Case Studies, Marketing and Web Content, Blog Posts, Business News, Community News, and Book Reviews. Learn more at jlgrybowski.journoportfolio.com, or contact her at jlgrybowski at gmail dot com. And be sure to let her know that “Judy sent you.”