There are advice columnists, not many, and there are those who like to think of themselves as suitable to be one. I come across a lot of people who want to be one but where it is all fantasy and no reality. The most ridiculous ones are those who say they will become one because they cannot get a job and are short of money, or have a job they do not like and which does not pay much, and want loads of money, but have no real skills or education that warrant being employed.  These people think that simply sitting at a keyboard and telling someone they sympathise and that they should do A, B, C and D to solve their problem makes them worthy of getting loads and loads of money – and fame.

Now let us examine this idea.  They say they are streetwise, smart and good at making decisions and solving problems yet they have a huge problem themselves. They are either unable to get a job or unable to get one which gratifies them and pays them well.  How does this qualify them to advise others?  Is that not like a person who is struggling to swim and keeps going under saying they can become a well paid swimming instructor? It makes no sense.  Either you are good at making decisions and solving problems or you are not and if you are good at it you would have started with yourself and not waited till now!  If you cannot solve your own problems why would strangers pay you for advice?

I’ve come across a lot of people who fit into this category and the truth is they are scammers and dreamers. They are either after fame or money, but deep down they know their advice is not worth paying for and do not care.  They contact people like me and hope I will either not notice their lack of expertise and experience or be so sympathetic to them it does not matter.  But here again they fail to see something which is so so obvious.  IF I wanted to hire rubbish advisors and give them an advice columnist job there are plenty of people who would give rubbish advice free of charge. You can find them on the forums on Reddit and face book and many other places.  Lots of people are eager to give free advice if it will make them feel important. Especially if they are unemployed and have lots of time on their hands.  How does this mean they are worth paying for too?  Let alone worth paying lots of money to?

If I get ten people apply to me for an advice columnist job the one I am more likely to hire is the one who does not need a job. They one who has been so intelligent, streetwise, resourceful, capable and good at making decisions they have a lot of money already. These are the ones who have proved themselves and who are doing it for the right reasons, not just trying to con people into giving them a lot of money for sitting on their arse at a keyboard.

I hear all sorts of ridiculous things in my job as an advice columnist.  The other day someone said they were blown away by a person we will refer to as X, because she had written a book.   What they failed to recognise was that nobody wanted to publish their book, it was an awful book that nobody would pay to read and many would not read it if it were free.   Anyone, yes anyone, can write a book, but writing a book worth reading and paying for is a different thing. It is the same with an advice columnist. Having an opinion and writing a few paragraphs does not make you wise. It does not put right that you cannot spell well or use bad grammar or give terrible advice.

If you want to get somewhere first ask yourself if you are smart enough to be a good advice columnist. Then ask yourself why anyone would pay you, let alone pay you a lot.  After all if you are working for me on this site and you are earning £60 an hour what are you giving me and the other people reading the site in return?  You have to give excellent value for money.   If someone gets advice from you through me and this site I also have to earn from it, I have far more expenses than you, I have the website etc to pay for and my time is more valuable than yours. I am an experienced advice columnist you are a newbie.

Something that happens a lot when you own such a site is that people contact you and ask you for free help… many ask me to give them free lessons in how to be a good and well paid advice columnist.Now ask yourself how this makes sense. Why would I give them free lessons so that they can earn a lot of money after?  Why is it fair that they get money but I do not? Yet what I do for them makes it possible for them to earn money?   How come the more experienced and smart you are the less you earn, it is usually the other way around.  Years ago I told someone that I am doing well with money. The guy I was talking to said wow that is great – as if it were a surprise – that means you could retire and you could work for free every day giving free advice on how to earn a lot of money!   Why would I turn away well paid work to do free work? Especially when the people who want that free work would use it to earn a lot of money? Please do not tell me that these people who want to benefit from my free help would do that for someone else one day.  And even if they did that would be their choice, it does not mean they ought to or it is wise or fair.

If you do not want to pay me for my help and advice with this fine, great, that means I have  some extra time to relax and have fun.But then please do not expect that help.

For those who want to do it on their own I have great admiration for you. It is how I did it and it works. You can even get a psychic reading to help you, get a free one at http://ww.cheappsychicemailreadings.com

But first ask yourself if you are suitable… Are you good at spelling, grammar, reading and writing? If you need to brush up on it or use spell check great. Do that first. If you are foreign and bad at English improve your English first.  Ask yourself what qualifies you to do this work and why you should get paid well to do it?  Anything along the lines of ALL OF MY FRIENDS COME TO ME AND TELL ME THEIR PROBLEMS is a daft answer.  Loads of people like to moan about their grievances and problems, often self inflicted, so long as they can do it free of charge and they get a listening ear when it suits.  That does not mean that they value your opinion or will take any notice of your advice. They may well go to a dozen people moaning about whatever and not value any of them.  I know some women will go to lots of people, one after the other, using them this way, so long as it does not cost money.   Being a listening ear does not make you worth money.  Being available when it suited them does not either.  In fact I would ask myself why I am silly enough to be available to people like this.  It does not show you are smart, quite the opposite.  Smart people usually want to be friends with other smart people. Why are you settling for being friends with users and freeloaders and bores if you are so smart?

If you are sure that you are great at reading and writing and giving advice you have to become well known. You can do this by getting busy on this site with your own paying customers. Give free samples on here. Get noticed. Have people talk about you. It worked for me years ago on other sites and other places. But you have to be willing to put in the leg work and not expect to earn loads of money straight away just like that.  Become a well known advice columnist and get a well paid advice columnist job.