EDIT: I’ve been getting a lot of sign-ups, but no email! Please let me know if you sign up for Bluehost through me—I’d love to help you out.

When I taught college last semester, the first homework assignment I gave my students was to code a basic HTML page about themselves. They’re all journalism majors, so many of them introduce themselves as “aspiring journalist,” “aspiring political reporter,” or “aspiring news anchor.” If you’ve read my manifesto, you know what I’d like to tell them: why aspire toward a career when you can start it right now?

If I could give all students, not only mine, just one piece of advice, it’d be this: start a blog right now. Don’t wait until you’re out of school. Don’t wait until somebody pays you to do it. Don’t wait for the “right time.” Don’t wait until (you think) you’re done learning. That day will never come.

I power my blog with WordPress, a free blogging tool, and host it on Bluehost. You may have noticed that I’ve recently put up an ad for Bluehost on my sidebar. This isn’t something I do lightly. Next to WordPress, Bluehost is my favorite blogging tool. That’s why I want you to use it, too.

I’ve used other hosting services before. I remember their labyrinthian user experiences, confusing terms of agreement, and the long hold on the phone when I finally called to cancel my account. With stuff like that, I’m surprised more people don’t switch over. My guess is they don’t know there’s anything better.

At $70 a year, Bluehost isn’t for everyone. If you’ve never blogged before, it might be best to start with a free account on WordPress.com while you find your blogging voice.

But if you are interested, let me help you. As an HTML/CSS teacher who has also been building websites for ten years, I believe there is nothing more empowering than getting your own space online. I also have the credentials to make it a cinch.

If you want my help, all you need to do is click my Bluehost referral link and sign up. I’m an affiliate of the site, so that kind of thing earns me money. Enough money, in fact, that I don’t want yours. I’ll spend half an hour with you setting up your site, absolutely free of charge. Simply email me after you sign up (with your new domain name as the title) to let me know you’re interested.

So think about it. It’s the beginning of a new year, the perfect time to begin something. Are you ready for a blog, a side project, a new career? Is a lack of Web knowledge the only thing holding you back? Blogging changed my life. Maybe it’ll change yours, too.