With many companies downsizing due to the current economic conditions, some people are looking to take matters into their own hands. Some of these potential entrepreneurs are thinking about opening businesses of their own, including a few who want to try their hand at freelancing. This could take on the form of freelance web design, freelance graphic design, freelance consulting, freelance writing, and any number of other possible pursuits. They see the grass as being greener on the other side, so they want to give it a try.
Perhaps you are one of these people, but you are unsure about whether a career in freelancing is right for you. As with any other kind of job with any other kind of work arrangement, there are some people who may be ill-suited for a freelance career. Do any of these criteria fit your mold?
Must Have Stable Income
By and large, most conventional jobs will offer you a stable salary and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you can expect your paycheque to look the same each time you receive it. Freelancers typically cannot expect this kind of stability, not only because of the ebb and flow of projects, but also because the payment schedule that some clients may require. This can be particularly true for larger projects where you may only receive a large lump sum upon completion.
After a while, you may be able to generate a reasonably stable monthly income, but this is not something that you can take for granted as a freelancer. As such, you have to be disciplined enough not to need a stable income, just in case you have a few months where things don’t go your way.
Thrives on Office Interaction
I work from home, as do most other freelancers. As such, there is certainly the potential for a lonely experience during the majority of the work day. Yes, I can still interact with people over the phone and through Twitter, but the co-worker camaraderie that you would typically experience in a regular office is definitely lacking.
Don’t get me wrong. I can still go out on the weekends with my friends and I can head out during the day to work from the coffee shop, but the level of human interaction can be quite a bit lower for people with a freelance career than those who work in a “normal” office. To overcome this, some freelancers choose to pass their days at shared workspaces with other freelancers and contractors.
Requires a Good Deal of Supervision
Given the opportunity, do you slack off at work? Given the opportunity, would you chat with your friends on Facebook rather than completing those TPS reports? I think we all face these kinds of distractions and these chances for procrastination, but they are even more prevalent working from home as a freelance writer. There isn’t someone breathing down your neck. There isn’t a co-worker looking over your shoulder, even if casually. You don’t have those peering eyes that provide the pressure to keep you on-task.
It can be challenging to keep productive in the absence of supervision and I speak from experience. Supervision can be good for pushing you along at a more expedient pace, but freelancers don’t have that. In this way, you have to find a way to motivate yourself and to keep yourself working even when you don’t have to do so.
Freelancing Isn’t for Everyone
As with any other kind of career, freelancing isn’t for everyone. I don’t think that I would do very well in the high-pressure sales environment of Wall Street and I don’t think I’d survive too long in the emotion-filled wards of an emergency hospital.
I do think, however, that I am well-suited for the role of a freelancer. I feel that I am able to live without a perfectly stable income, a lot of co-worker interaction, and a team of supervisors keeping me on-task. This may not be the case for you, but don’t despair. Our parachutes are all different colours; you just have to find yours.
Freelancers probably ought to (when possible) squirrel away more money into savings than the typical employee would, just so that they are better able to make it through any slow periods.
Didn’t you get the memo?
The hard thing about being a freelance computer consultant while working a full time gig is being able to set appointments. The money would be okay, but not nearly enough to live on without having a cushion to work from until I could build the clientele to a consistent level.
I think you left one thing off the list. Likes working regular hours. A freelancer must spend more time getting business, marketing and all the other things that an employee of a regular business doesn’t have to do. The hours of a freelancer actually are greater a lot of the time.
Freelancing isn’t for everyone, especially not for a family man who has a housing loan to service, and 2 young children’s education to see through.
The biggest obstacle is the unstable income, which is part and parcel of a freelanching career.
I agree with you on this as I also have 2 young children, loans, bills and education to look forward to.
This might be the case, but I am a freelancer and I have a house loan, a house rental, a car loan to pay off on top of the usual bills and expenses. Right now, I am doing fine with freelancing. If I were to stay in my previous office job, I would not survive.
Great that a freelance career worked out for you and your family.
It’s always gonna be tough, but never an impossibility.
I don’t any loans, debt, or mortgage (yet), but I can also say that I am making more money with freelancing that I have with any other (regular) full-time job.
hey… i am freelance too… income come from freelance may not bigger than real job but the time is more flexible
I’ve been having a problem in this department lately…. saw it related post from a just recent post from Michael.
I would be great on my own doing web design/development and graphic design for print sort of thing if it wasn’t for being lonely.
It’s the point here: Thrives on Office Interaction
I need that. Even if the person is an ass, I still need it. I’m not sure as to why I’m this way… I’ve done a job before for a couple of months that had me working from home and having a project manager far away. He wasn’t a bad guy, he says I’m more than welcome back. It was more of my working style I found out that summer than anything else.
However, here’s something to the contrary, I’ve managed to work on a project of a huge web app that I did from the ground up and it was a quite a bit of work (still not done, but it was a personal project for school) and I was able to get it out. A pressure of a hard deadline helped, but I also think it’s because my boyfriend was around in the apartment while I was working and he provided some feedback on UI or design issues (he doesn’t do web design or apps, but he does program and he has good sense) and it really helped me along.
My instructor admitted to me that I did more than he was expecting and seemed really pleased of it. So, not having self discipline is not an issue… I’ve also taken distance courses on my own with great results…
The worst part is that there are no shared workspaces I can join where I live… been trying to find one.
So far, I’ve been trying to find a partnership to work in… working out of my condo (it’s a really nice condo in a great central location in town) and so far there hasn’t been too many nibbles. I’m competent in what I do, have about 2 years of experience in programming, web design and print work… all in industry.
I’m just really hitting a roadblock and I would really appreciate everyone’s thoughts on the issue.
Thanks!
Also forgot to mention…
My boyfriend lives in the condo with me, but works during the day and he’s our stable income that covers everything… and he told me that it was okay that I was doing what I was doing and trusts me and my judgment.
Right now, I’ve also been trying to get on EI in the meanwhile while I figure this out. 🙂
Thanks!
A stable income and staying on task is what worries me about freelancing. I guess all ventures have their risks and rewards.