Exchanging a regular 9 to 5 job with freelance work

Before 2020, the idea of doing freelance work was as appealing as a root canal. Why would I exchange a sure income source for uncertainty? And, even if I wanted to, what skills did I have to even try?

There were more Cons than Pros on my list, and I simply couldn’t bring myself to make the leap. Because that is what it was: a leap, one of faith. Faith that I would be alright. Faith that I wouldn’t end up unemployed, broke, and living off the mercy of relatives.

Then the pandemic happened, and everyone was forced into lockdown. Many dreaded it, hated it, and worried constantly. I, for the first time, tasted a different kind of work. Remote.

If the pandemic hasn’t taught me anything, it did teach me that working remote, from home was not only achievable, but desirable.

Before the pandemic, I hated going to work. A job I once enjoyed doing and was eager to get there in the morning had become unbearable, and draining. It took a toll on my mental health, so much so that I became suicidal.

Everything was bleak, meaningless, not worth my time or effort. It took my loved ones, and a moment of pure clarity that showed me the path I was supposed to take. Yet, I still felt reluctant to get rid of the weight that pulled me into depression in the first place. I was too scared to quit. The fact alone that I admitted it to myself was already progress, meager, but still progress.

My journey began without me knowing it at the time, a journey that would help me heal.

In summer of 2020, after a dispute with my former employer, I resigned. It was a cathartic. I still recall the moment, walking into my former boss’s office, giving my notice, and leaving with a smile on my face. I was free. Unburdened. It hadn’t settled in yet that I had no Plan B or any significant savings, but the endorphins swirling around in my brain didn’t allow for any clouds in the euphoric heaven I was floating.

My co-workers were perplexed by my announcement, some asking if I had another job lined up – nope! – others asked if I thought this through -yup!

I’ve learnt that sometimes ignoring your brain and going with your gut is the way to go. And so I went. By the end of that summer, about 8 weeks after I quit my old job, I not only had landed my first freelance gig, but I was discovering a world so full of possibilities, I never thought existed. I could finally breathe, and take care of myself. I now worked for as long as I wanted, scheduling breaks when they fitted me and my needs, while earning at least twice as much for half the time I would work in a 9 to 5 job.

There are downsides as well, like if you didn’t have a project, you had no income, and of course, having to learn about doing my taxes mostly by myself. It was daunting, no question there. But worth the risk? Absolutely.

Someone once said, in a joking fashion, that if you work for a company the manager or boss would encourage the team with phrases like “we are a family, we work as one”. Funny though, when it was time to take a fancy vacation on a tropical island, boss didn’t think our “family” would want go.

There are obviously pros and cons for either type of job, but if I would get to choose again, I would pick to be my own boss any day of the week. No question there!