Being a freelancer is not an easy lifestyle
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Wow, I really hate my job and want to venture out on my own.” Yea, I was there once too.
In mid 2016, I left my full-time web development job to work on things interested me. This was making YouTube videos and learning new programming tools and techniques. It was fun until my funds were running short. I needed money fast and so I quickly googled, “how to make money as a developer without a job.” The goal was not to get another 9 to 5 job, so I may have time to work on my own personal projects.
Here were the type of results I got from googling around and my initial thoughts:
Build a product
Initial thoughts — Too much work and not bizz savvy . Next!
Which, in the end, whenever you’re going to venture out on your own, you must learn some business skills.
Sell educational courses
Initial thoughts — I don’t have patience to teach nor to edit hours of educational video content.
Freelancing
Initial thoughts — Okay, yea I can freelance as a WordPress developer.
So I googled more about it and this is what my brain processed:
- You can be your own boss
- Work wherever, whenever
- Make double the income
- Work on any projects with any companies
SOLD!
And, well I learned the hard way about freelancing. Now keep in mind, that either option still equated to a lot time and dedication but at the time, my mind just didn’t process that information.
So if you’re in the same boat as I was and you’re thinking of freelancing in whatever niche, read my thoughts on the pros and cons of each lifestyle:
Flexibility lifestyle
This was the selling point for me. My time, is my most valuable asset, which this goes for everyone in this world. It’s the one thing that is non-refundable.
Pros
As a freelancer you have more freedom in deciding when, where and how you want to work. You have the privilege to wake up near noon, not shower and work right in your pajamas.
Cons
The biggest strength with this lifestyle is it’s biggest weakness. Having too much flexibility privilege might cause you to lack with your time management and actually be less valuable.
As a freelancer you must have or want to have great time-management skills. To enjoy the flexibility that comes with freelancing you must first be good at time management. Otherwise, enjoy working most weekends and having sleepless nights because the deadline is coming up in the next 24 hours.
Also, as a freelancer you’re on call 24/7 or might have to work some weekends; it’s just the nature of the beast.
Finance lifestyle
Pros
You can make 6-figures or more and live extremely comfortable.
Cons
As a freelancer, your finances are constantly fluctuating. You can be almost at poverty level broke and the next month you’re living comfortably for the next few months.
This also means you have to stay on top of your client invoices and hunt them down if late payments.
On top of all that, you have to take care of your own insurance and taxes.
Expenses lifestyle
Pros
Any equipment, tools, house, food, gas, car, etc may be used to lower your taxes.
Cons
As a freelancer, it’s all on you.
There has been one company that offered me a work laptop, but that’s about it. Bless them 🙏
Benefits lifestyle
“When you stop working, you stop getting paid.”
Pros
None.
Cons
When you’re a full-time employee, you get to reap the benefit rewards such as health-care, paid vacations, paid sick days, workers rights, etc.
As a freelancer you are on your own. Which goes back to what we spoke about being responsible with your time and money.
You’re everything and a bag of chips
Pros
If you’re interested in being a business owner, a salesperson and a marketer than being a freelancer will allow you to grow in that aspect.
Cons
When you’re employed, your sole purpose is to focus on your role in the company. You’re more than welcome to do more but when you’re freelancing you’re not just a developer or a designer, etc.
When you’re a freelancer you have to constantly market and sell your services. When a project is received, you must play all the roles of being a project manager, designer and developer (this really depends on the project type).
My final thoughts
Being a freelancer can be really awesome and a fun career lifestyle if done properly. You have the opportunity to live a lifestyle that most people dream of but it does come with a large amount of work.
Just remember what uncle Ben said,
“With great power comes with great responsibility” — R.I.P uncle Ben
As for me, at this stage of my life, I’m seeking for full-time employment, I have side projects I want to take care of without having the worries that I need to continue looking for clients and hunting for late payments.
And most tech companies, don’t mind you doing freelance work on the side as long as it doesn’t go in competition with the company you’re working for. So if you’re trying to get a taste of the freelance lifestyle, try it as a side thing first and go on from there.
In my next article I will be sharing what freelancing tools I use to make my life a tad bit easier, so please sign up to the email subscriber list to not miss out!
Originally published at www.getbaited.com.
