I would love to work for myself and I do plan to do that at some point. However, my Steemit earnings aren't really high enough to pay expenses yet and we have many uncertainties as long as we haven't sold our two houses yet. It means for the next year or two, I do need a job, because going viral on Steemit is just not going to happen.
I'm definitely saving my steempower. I don't need it, so I'm not touching it. I'll just let it grow :-)