In a landscape where traditional employment opportunities continue to remain elusive for many Kenyan graduates, a new avenue of promise has emerged: academic writing.
The Daily Nation recently highlighted how Kenyan graduates are finding solace in the realm of online writing, with earnings so substantial that even established professionals are forsaking their full-time jobs to embrace this digital wave.
At the forefront of this transformation is Epic Aswani, whose journey attests to the alluring rewards of academic writing.
His venture into the writing industry dates back to 2017, a pivotal year that marked the beginning of his association with this dynamic field.
Alongside his writing pursuits, Aswani curates the Epic Aswani YouTube channel, a platform he uses to share comprehensive insights into the world of online writing.
Before his plunge into the writing domain, Aswani navigated the corporate world as a sales and marketing professional.
His daily income ranged between Ksh800 and Ksh1,500, with a promising month fetching him Ksh16,000 – Ksh20,000, contingent on various factors including the number of working days and prevalent rates.
However, even in the best-case scenario, this income was barely adequate to cover his fundamental expenses, including rent, maintenance, and school fees.
As the job market remained unyielding, Aswani’s fortunes took a fortuitous turn. Introduced to the realm of online writing by his girlfriend’s cousin, he embarked on a journey of exploration and learning.
Armed with tutorials from the online realm, he acquired the necessary skills and secured his maiden writing gig through an individual who possessed a writing account.
Receiving his first paycheck, a notable sum of Ksh40,000, marked a pivotal juncture for Aswani.
It dispelled his initial skepticism about the legitimacy and potential of online writing as a sustainable career option. It was then that Aswani’s career trajectory underwent a remarkable transformation.
The journey, however, wasn’t without its challenges. Aswani initiated his endeavors with rates as low as Ksh200 per page and operated on an aging 1GB RAM laptop.
It was a far cry from the streamlined setups that typify today’s online writing landscape. However, the industry has since evolved significantly.
Minimum rates now hover around Ksh250 per page, and proficient writers can command up to Ksh500 per page. Modern laptops, boasting the efficiency of SSD technology, have played a significant role in enhancing the earning potential of writers.
Aswani emphasizes that beginners can comfortably earn around Ksh1,000 per day by crafting just 4 pages, assuming a rate of Ksh250 per page. This translates to a monthly income of at least Ksh20,000, a figure that outpaces earnings in some traditional professions.
For those driven by more ambitious financial objectives, Aswani advises aspiring writers to target 10 pages per day. This dedication could yield a daily income of Ksh2,500.
Across a standard work month comprising 20 days, this approach could enable writers to comfortably earn over Ksh50,000.
Writers who have honed their skills and secured higher rates per page can potentially achieve even more impressive monthly earnings.
Aswani attests that writers with faster typing speeds and superior rates per page can potentially earn between Ksh70,000 to Ksh80,000 monthly.
