Working for a living doesn't mean you must live most of your waking moments surrounded by 4 beige cubicle walls. Do what you love and get paid for it!

Trust me, I spent the majority of my "time" working for Corporate America in the very belly of the organization. That would be as a Human Resources Employee. From those of you reading this article, I can only imagine the moans and groans of distaste and colorful adjectives that come to mind when thinking of your own organization's HR group.

I was no different than any other employee in the company. I dreaded going to work each day and celebrated when the clock hit 5pm. Friday was celebrated as a national holiday and Sunday was loathed and dreaded thinking about the next day which began a long work week.

After being laid off several times in this job, I finally decided to take a contract position as a HRIS consultant for a major healthcare company that would last exactly three years. At least I knew I would be paid very well and for a designated period of time without the acid reflux of dealing with employee issues. During this time, I decided that I was going to try something new. I always wanted to write for a living and I had a perfect opportunity to plan and make my move.

First order of business was to pay off all my credit card debt, car loan and anything else that was not a utility bill or mortgage. Secondly, I began to seriously sock away money in a savings account. Instead of having to pay credit cards and car notes, I paid myself first once these were paid off. I noticed at the end of each year that I was starting to really build a nest egg.

Thirdly and most importantly, I began to educate myself. I wasn't going to merely jump from Corporate America's beige cubicle and into the middle of "How do I earn a living?" I bought several books while employed and read them several times. I made notes, contacted the author with questions that I had and began putting marketing steps into place. I also began seeking out local writers to network with them and negotiate taking on their overflow work.

Simple yet organized steps with processes and common sense landed me into earning a nice living as a freelance writer where I am able to sleep in if I want or work as early or as late as I want. When you do something you really enjoy or even love, working a bit longer than 5pm doesn't seem to be a big deal. The idea of "working your way up" or as HR Professionals might say, "career pathing" is strictly up to the individual.

If becoming a millionaire is the goal, then you can certainly attain it. If living comfortably and taking vacation or a day or two off whenever you want is the goal, then that is definitely attainable as well. I have to tell you, once you make the carefully thought out plan to jump from Corporate America, you'll never go back. Now, what would you really like to do for a living? Make a plan, and you just might become a Corporate America escapee as well!