Freelancing? Not your cup of tea… And 8 other Myths about Freelancing
Freelancing is not for you. Freelancing isn’t your cup of tea. Freelancing isn’t a respectable job. Freelancers don’t earn well. Does this sound familiar? Oh, and the most common — Freelancing is not a proper job.
Sumit was going through a difficult phase. He loved his work but didn’t want to continue the job. He loved coordinating with different clients, having day-to-day business talks with them and having cups of coffee in between. Still, he wasn’t happy.
So, he started giving thought to go freelance. And the unexpected happened. His family and relatives went paranoid with his decision. They didn’t want him to leave a well-paying job and go UNEMPLOYED. And it’s a situation many freelancers go through, maybe all.
However, freelancing is best summarised in the words of a British historian –
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” — Arnold J. Toynbee
And that’s what freelancing is all about. You work hard but also have the share of enjoyment, doing the work, after the work and also, before you start the work.
So, here I am decoding the life of a freelancer… one myth at a time.
1. Freelancing is for those who can’t find a job
There is a common misconception about those who are living as a freelancer. People think that freelancers are unemployed. They are freelancing just because they couldn’t get a job. But the truth is many are freelancers by choice (eg. me). 😬
A freelancer may have left his/her job as freelancing offers more flexibility to work. A freelancer gets work according to their skills and not what their employer asked them to. Moreover, it’s a great way to earn money while studying. You can utilise the skills you learn, practice them and thus, will be ready for work when you finish your studies.
2. Freelancers don’t get paid well
Yes, it’s one of the freelancing myths that those people don’t earn money. They do it for fun. But the truth about freelancing is that you can get paid a lot more than what you could be earning in a regular job. Of course, it will happen only if you are qualified in what you choose to do.
Yes, I do agree that the rates and the payments vary between clients, but once you have sufficient experience, you can charge higher.
Also, freelancing is a lot related to passion. However, just because you love photography and you have THE CAMERA doesn’t mean you will earn as a photographer. You have to learn the art.
Moreover, be efficient and self-disciplined if you want to survive as a freelancer.
Read: Entrepreneurship — The Essential Traits for the Messy, Unpredictable Pathway
3. Freelancers don’t have a stable life
The lack of a stable source of income is one of the major reasons many people think “Freelancing is not for me”. You hear that “stable life” thing a little more when you’re trying to go freelance in writing jobs. However, I would like to assure you that it’s just one of the many myths about freelance writing.
Only because one doesn’t receive monthly salary slips doesn’t mean they can’t live their life by freelancing. All it needs is proper planning, time management, skills, some experience and a little hard work.
4. You will be alone
Whoever told you that freelancers live a solitary life, haven’t been with a freelancer. A day in the life of a freelancer is a lot more fun, and they get to work with different teams. They have to interact online with different people, and many get to work in an office too (some projects involve group work and fieldwork).
Although most of the freelancers prefer to work from home, you can choose not to. Go to a park, go to a café or find a co-working space near you. In a co-working space, you can work on your project along with other freelancers working on theirs.
5. You’re your own boss
Enough of sweet dreams. Now, let’s see the hard reality of freelancing. Yes, you don’t have a boss, but there’s someone you’re working for. Another difference is that in a full-time job, you have only one boss. A freelancer has many clients, and not everyone will be the same. Some make the work easy, others may not.
And especially when you’re just starting out, you have to be a lot more flexible. You need the clients to provide you with continuous work and also references. So, freelancers have to be ahead of the deadlines, always!
“In order to shape the industry for the better, you have to create high standards and stick to them no matter what.”
— Brent Galloway
6. You have got all the time in the world
You sure have seen a writer working and relaxing along the sea-face and then, they could be sleeping all day long. But a freelance writing lifestyle is uncertain. You can set the times of working but you, of course, HAVE TO do the work. Chilling during the day means working late in the night. And there are some unexpected client requests which may need immediate attention.
Moreover, sometimes you end up having no work, and on other days, you have so much that you can’t even think of taking a break. So, balancing life and work itself is hard work for freelancers.
7. Freelancing is a stress-free business
Well, you now already know it is one of the freelancing myths, not a reality of freelancers. Freelancing is not a stress-free business. A freelancer, apart from work, also has to manage the finances, track payments, market himself/herself well to have the clients find him/her and then, convince them to hire.
Read: Exploring Personal Branding
And of course, freelancers have to keep searching for new opportunities. A freelancer is like an army in one body. They have to do it all on their own to continue running their business. Also, don’t forget that freelancers have to keep learning new skills to be relevant in the market.
8. Freelancing is a great option if you aren’t people-friendly
OK, I would like to admit that it’s one of the freelancing myths that I believed to be true. BUT not anymore.
Just because freelancers work on their own, doesn’t mean they don’t have to be people-friendly. The business of freelance is built on relationships. And to foster effective relationships, you need to be very communicative. You have to maintain communications with current clients, prospective clients and also, the previous clients.
Having good communication with previous clients lead me to repeat works and a few referrals too. Moreover, it builds a sense of trust.
So, what do you think? Is freelancing hard?
I would say, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
All you need is to find how to survive as a freelancer. It takes some time to get a living out of it, but you can start part-time while being at a job. And if job and freelancing aren’t possible, you can freelance during holidays or weekends. You would be gaining experience and also can experiment which skills would be a good fit for you.
Read: A Small Choice Can Change Your Life Forever
There is a lot of competition, and the one who maintains good relationships with the clients and other people will get success. Quality does play an important role too.
So, network well, provide quality work and also, learn new skills.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
— An old saying
