Freelancing is a new trend nowadays. Many people, tired of working long hours under unreasonable bosses, decide to go their own way. It is also often a suitable choice for people who can’t get a full-time job: single parents, people with disabilities or students. But like any other kind of job, freelancing has both pros and cons to it.

Very often being a hired worker becomes just too much to bear. It is very tempting to become your own boss and go freelance. There are freelance photographers, IT specialists and copywriters. Even if your only super skill is to come up with catchy names or slogans or to know how to choose a topic for a research paper that would impress a professor – it can still get you paying clients. But first, you should sit and write down all the good and bad things that can follow this decision.

Advantages Of Being A Freelancer.

Flexible time.

Many people in IT are “night owls”. They work best starting from the afternoon and deep into the night, but are completely useless in the mornings. Such a lifestyle is rather incompatible with current work schedule where you have to get up bright and early, get to work and spend the day at the computer screen. But there is an alternative – becoming a freelancer. This way one can both work at night and have a glorious sleep in the morning.

Free choice of venue.

Stuffy rooms and long commutes are behind. Now you can stay at home or go to a pleasant co-working space. You won’t have a problem if you need to attend to a sick relative or a child – just take your laptop and connect to the nearest Wi-Fi. I know a guy who can work at any place at any time – and does it. Want to try it too?

3. Free choice of assignments and clients.

You can choose the type of work you do best and have your pick among projects. By becoming a freelancer, you may be opening yourself to exciting opportunities you may not have encountered at your previous workplace.

No bosses or annoying coworkers.

It is not easy to work with people, especially being dependent on their whims. By going as a free spirit, you would be able to avoid all the unpleasantness piled up on your shoulders by co-workers and bosses.

5. An opportunity to be there for your loved ones.

Without business trips, long commutes and other trappings of a contract worker, you may have more time for the people who really matter – your friends and family. This way, combining business and having a personal life becomes a reality.

But to every advantage, there is always an underside…

DISADVANTAGES OF BEING A FREELANCER.

Choice of hours? More like working all the time!

A freelancer does not have vacations, sick leaves and holidays. No birthday parties as well. As long as there are tasks to be done and a deadline to observe – you work. When the workload is high, you just stop seeing the life swirling around.

Home is not the best place to work.

When you work from home, you are surrounded by distractions. The cat demands to be fed, the dog wants a walk, the kid wants to play. The neighbors are doing renovations. It takes an enormous effort and strength of will to keep being focused on what you are doing.

Choosing clients? Find at least ONE first!

When you were working for someone, this someone was giving tasks and meeting clients. Now it is all on you. You have to earn a reputation, do a ton of test assignments, negotiate and convince clients to choose you among all other contestants. Not only freelancers have their pick of projects – the clients have their pick of freelancers as well, and it’s a tough world.

Even evil overlords have their uses.

Your boss may have been a tyrant, but they had subordinates for a reason. They provided many social benefits: insurance, paid vacations, sick leaves. Now it is you who negotiates with the insurance company and the tax collector. And you have to earn twice as much to have vacations.

Seeing loved ones? WHEN?!

Now that you are free from all the annoying guys, you are… busy all the time. You try to get all the contracts available to make ends meet. All the family members turn to shadows. And sometimes you are not even recognized for your efforts: oh, that person just sits at the PC every day, do they even work?!

Being a freelancer is great. But this is a completely different lifestyle. You get more freedom, but also more responsibility. You have to fight for your place, and it may affect your health and relationships. Choose and plan accordingly. And may the choice you make be the right one!