Taste the flavor of freelancing – You gotta love it!!

Posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009
I won’t say that freelancing is a new trend of earning but yes it won’t be wrong claiming that it has become one of the most popular and common way of making income. Considering the advantages of working as a freelancer, literally thousands of people are switching from a full time job to freelancing.

There are different interesting reasons why people are opting for freelancing but today I want to share the benefits which got me hooked up in this business. I am sure many of you might not be interested in knowing my list of reasons but I am curious to know yours. So come on guys, let’s exchange the benifits of freelancing.

 
 
1) Flexible Working hours: The main advantage which I earn of working as a freelancer is the flexible working hours. If I have a doctor’s appointment at 9:00 AM, I can easily schedule my work plan without begging my boss.

2) Childcare expenses are cut off: As me and my wife had to be away for work, so we had to send our kids to a day care centre, which was cutting off my earnings. Now we both are freelancing from home and have settled on different shifts to look after the kids. We all work to earn an income, but trust me childcare expenses can cut into your earnings.

3) Be your own Boss: The most fun part of freelancing is that we become our own bosses…isn’t it fun ;) While working in an office, you need to comply with certain standards of discipline set by your employer, managers or colleagues. However, as a freelancer, we set our own priorities and are not answerable to any higher authority. But at the same time, don’t forget that you are solely responsible for the damages and benefits you earn from your decisions
 
 
4) Pyjamas and Slippers can make you more creative: Mostly offices have formal dress code and expect their employees to show up in their corporate dresses with ties around their necks. However, you all will agree that more a person is relaxed, better becomes his work quality.

Being a freelancer, I am completly satisfied with my work performance although I wear casual pyjamas and bunny slippers during working hours. Do you think there is any sort of direct relation between a tightly kotted tie and our creativity skills??

5) Working environment of your choice: Have you ever imagined your professional life without office politics, annoying co-employees around and your neighbor “Smokey Joe” to be missing, who is unbearable to sit with because of the smoking smell. Yes…these are the definite benefits you can enjoy if you are working from a small cozy corner in your house.

6) I will pick my favorite scoop: Here freelancers enjoy the authority of selecting the projects of their choice and decide how much to charge my clients. I am at the liberty of picking up easy-going clients and take the deadlines according to my convenience.

7) Follow your own time table: As a freelancer I have the freedom to choose my own working hours. At times, when a family matter is to be looked after I

At times, when a family matter is to be looked after I easily take a half day off and then at other convenient hours I cope up with my pending work.  If you think that you are over stressed at work and need a vacation, you can plan for one anytime you wish. At times, when I work really hard to finish my projects after that I give myself a long rest to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

However, all these fun aspects I listed above make people think of freelancing as a hobby and not as a career. It always annoys me when I find people thinking freelancing to be a time pass or some sort of amusement. I would clearly like to mention here that freelancing takes equal hard work, skill, research and planning, a full time job requires. Therefore, I would like you all to answer this question:
 
“Do Freelancers only freelance because they can’t get a real job?”
 
 

If you found this post helpful and enjoyed reading it, will appreciate if you....
  1. Kyle Gile On September 4th, 2009 at 4:25 am
    1

    Good article, and some good tips of the pros of freelancing.

    To answer your question, no. I believe any freelancer can get a job. It may not be the best paying job in the world, but I gurarantee the majority of us can go out and find a job if we choose to do so.

    My profession, however, is much more comfortable doing at home and the pay is the same, if not better. Plus working at home has great benefits, which you mentioned most above.

    Once again, great article!
    http://www.knrdesigns.com

  1. Martin Sanders On September 4th, 2009 at 5:53 am
    2

    I’ve been working as a freelance designer for the last five years and have happily built a strong list of clients. However during the early years freelancing it can be a struggle, while yes you get to schedule your own time in reality you tend to be super busy with long hours or be free and looking for work.

    Unlike a salaried job every project (at the start) can dictate whether you can cover the overheads or not. When starting off I’d always suggest having an additional source of income. As you never now when a client will be late paying or a deadline for completion gets extended due to an import client holiday.

  1. Thompson Touch On September 4th, 2009 at 8:17 am
    3

    We have full time jobs and moonlight our freelance company. A few of my design friends do this as well. This way we are building clients and relationships but still have a steady income coming in for our bills so we will be ready when that day comes.

  1. Emily Reed On September 7th, 2009 at 10:05 am
    4

    Interesting post. Hmm… I wouldn’t say that freelancers only freelance because they can’t get a real job. But I believe that it’s more of the ‘freedom’ in freelancing that people go after. I have been a freelancer for almost 2 years now and I find it to be a truly interesting experience, especially the part where my friends (who work from 9-5) complain about their lousy work hours and awful work demands while I get to sleep on it ;)

  1. Todd On September 7th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
    5

    Those that can work from home, for themselves (successfully) I have to give a lot of credit to. There are so many things that can come up at home, that can get in the way of your work. You just have to try and minimize distractions, and be your own self-starter. Motivation is key – if you lose your motivation you’re going to have a heck of a time staying afloat. If you’re the type that can’t stay on task, and has to have someone tell them what to do and how long you have to do it, then you’re probably better off getting a corporate dayjob or a regular 9 to 5. But if you know how to stay focused, then you’ll be all set. Sometimes it takes just trying freelancing in order to see if you’ve got what it takes. Give it a shot, the next time you get laid off :) If you live in the US, it’s bound to happen sooner or later, as shaky as this economy is right now.

  1. Sardar Mohkim Khan On September 7th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
    6

    thanks for sharing! Free Lancing is what I have made living out of for almost two years now. No matter how much they curse me, but I love the job.
    Plus I have got appreciation from family now that i do have a 9-5 job, but that i agree with Todd, I am not leaving free lancing :)

  1. STRAIGHTALK On September 8th, 2009 at 12:26 am
    7

    Man Your are honestly the best..

    I am a freelancer for a bit over 5yrs now and I must say this is the GREATEST was to really enjoy Your family & life too.

    I was convicted to murder 1st degree for killing a man “who confused Me for someone else” lucky Me that after a re-trial & 11yrs that passed me by I got out as a FREE Man.

    I was only able to read “English” web designing Books in a SPANISH prison!

    How ever, this is why I bought http://www.151years.com and became a FRELENCER!

    My Business is doing GREAT & I get to meet very talented people like YOU buddy.

    Oh Your website is Excellent & I gain Valuable knowledge!

    Thank You for being My friend & lets get the WORD OUT!

    Norman Flecha
    STRAIGHTALK

  1. Hot Bolt On September 8th, 2009 at 6:29 am
    8

    1 reason for me – freelancers can have own unrestricted internet access.

  1. BETA ALPHA On September 8th, 2009 at 6:31 am
    9

    BTW this line is repeated in the article: “At times, when a family matter is to be looked after I”. The cartoon illustration is v. attractive.

    Another reason is “work at own pace” without pressures. You can also drop out of a freelance project saying ‘I cant do it’ due to any reason whatsoever which you cant if you work for somebody else.

  1. Rahul - Web Guru On September 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
    10

    Freelancing is quite cool. But for me… I work full time in an office, and I freelance as well. Tell you this, now-a-days, it has started to become a little bit not-so-organized kinda thing.

    Only if I could freelance and get enough bucks.

  1. ashiq ali On September 9th, 2009 at 4:45 am
    11

    how to do freelance logo design works.
    plz help me.

  1. Nia Brown On September 9th, 2009 at 8:56 am
    12

    Freelancing for me allows me to be able to do all this things I want to do within my day. Like go to school online, run errands and be at home when my son gets out of school so I can take him to his after school activities. If I where to work a regular 9-5 I would have to clear time for appointments with and through someone else. Find someone else to tend to my son, miss most of his activities and do my school work late in the evening when it should be family time. I’ve held 9-5 jobs over the years but I am far more happier as a freelancer than I have even been working for a company.

  1. Pato Mas On September 10th, 2009 at 8:57 am
    13

    I’ve been freelancing for a little over a year now after being fired from my 9 to 5. I always had my own clients on the side, but having two kids never felt ready for the jump. The thing is, although money isn’t pouring in, my kids (6 and 9 years old) have told me that they’re happy to have me closer than before. And THAT my friends, has made it all worth while!!

  1. Twitter Backgrounds On September 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
    14

    One major aspect of freelancing is that not only are you doing your craft, whether it’s writing, designing, and so on, you are also establishing your own business. That means you do the sales, the marketing, the pitching, networking. You really wear multiple hats and develop transferable skills!

    Downside: unsteady income and no company paid health insurance.

  1. elisa On September 15th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
    15

    I think a lot of freelancers do have jobs, they just do side projects.

  1. Nathan Pope On September 15th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
    16

    I really enjoyed this article on freelancing. If I could only get my fiance to work at home with me it would be great. Thankfully I don’t have to deal with juggling kids into the whole mix.

    I posted this article to my twitter at http://twitter.com/nathan_pope/status/4011566633

    Thanks for such good insight into the life of the freelancer

  1. Brandon On September 15th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
    17

    I can’t stand freelancing. I want to leave my work at the office where it belongs. Having set hours and a separate place to work helps me to separate work and home life.

    When I work at home it takes 3-4 times longer to get anything done and, while it may be more creative, higher-quality work, it’s not worth the time investment. There are way too many distractions at home.

    Also, I’m the type of person who really needs regular interaction with people outside my home.

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