Justin Tonna - Update

“After spending ten years working my way through the insurance industry, I had finally reached the top of my game. At the age of 33, I snagged a senior management post at one of Malta's largest insurers. I was on the fast track.

"And then I quit.

"It all began when I started the Comprehensive Writing Course with The Writers Bureau in October 2006.

"In late 2007, I had an offer from a local paper to join their team as a journalist. Unfortunately, the remuneration was too low when compared to my corporate package. But it made me determined to make writing my full time job.

"My freelancing was going well and I cast about for some new markets to boost the income. Then I got a call from Network Publications - Malta’s largest publishing house - to join their team as a senior journalist.

"Their offer actually beat my old corporate job and I decided it was time to throw in the insurance towel.

"Initially, I wondered if I could cope. But the excellent tuition I received on my course gave me the skills I needed.

"I became a full time writer in February 2008, working on the Malta Economic Update magazine. I handle our monthly 32-page supplements, edit the work of other freelancers and interview top businessmen and politicians. The job is hectic, the deadlines are tight but the reward of seeing the finished publication at the end of each month is indescribable.

"It was a very hard decision when I turned my back on the corporate world. The climb to the top had been long and hard. But after spending three months in journalism and writing for a living, would I do it again?

"In a heartbeat.”