Should You Use a Pen Name?

I quit my day job, which was working as an environmental planner for the State of Virginia with the National Flood Insurance Program, which means I feel more able to use my actual name for my writing. My reasoning probably wasn't sound in the first place . . . before I left, I told several colleagues that I wrote teen fantasy novels and most of them thought it was cool and told me it was a popular genre to pick. A few people who already didn't like me thought it was unprofessional, but now I realize WHO CARES? Everyone has hobbies. This is mine.

 

But now that I'm missing out on my half of our household income, we're all kind-of feeling the financial crunch. I either have to make money writing, go back to a different job, or we need to move. Since none of us want me to go back to a full-time job, my focus is on writing, though we'll probably move too.