| So yeah, I will be testing my original material through the local DnD meetup group. So far I've run a test game for 1 meetup and got very positive reactions from the players for a half-improvised game which featured an alteration to standard encounter design that I cooked up for playtest purposes.
As long as I keep in practice with meetups and playtests, I should be able to maintain a good level of quality in my game mastering and further refine my storytelling methods. I've learned to be flexible with the rules without ruining game balance and adapt quickly to unexpected player actions. I'm currently trying out new tools to improve my options in storytelling and half of them seem to work. Particularly battle challenges.
Keep in mind this is just a backup plan. I still have more job applications to hand in.
Also, keep in mind that the charge per hour will probably in many cases be split by the players. A 5 hour game with 5 players would mean each player coughs up $8. That's pretty reasonable. I'm going to keep it that price to remain reasonable. There is also the tip to consider. I can hope for generous players but would still make enough to cover my costs and make a small profit.
If the players are unsatisfied, it's by the hour so they can stop the session to cut their payment any time. Since I will be regularly training as a game master and testing my material, customer satisfaction will not likely be a problem.
Again, this is just a backup plan. Any regular job would probably make more money. | 
And yet another word from our sponsors
