Becoming a freelancer - Beginnings are hard
I am one of many freelancers that love designing, coding and working without a boss. I'd like to share my story, in the hopes that it might shed some light over some of you who wish to work independently, but have a hard time pulling through. If you're not one of those people, then this might just be interesting to read :)
I always dreamt of becoming like one of "those people" that work remotely from home, whenever they want, however they want, and freely choose their own projects. I looked up to them, thought their life must be so interesting and flexible. Up to my 20s, I imagined being one, but never really did try to look for freelancer websites or ways to work at home and actually earn money from it. I was surrounded by the definitive idea that you first had to work for someone, a year or more, gain experience, learn from your bosses, learn discipline, and then maybe get to be on your own. I don't think that's necessarily true.
Why?
You don't need to learn from anyone to start working independently. You don't need to read motivational books or work somewhere before you get your first customer. You learn on the way.
My experience and discipline started as soon as I got my first customer. And the most challenging part of being a freelancer was FAILURE. Yes, I have failed big time in my first projects. But I had lots to learn from there - what I did wrong, what seemed good, what I should do better. I adapted and gained knowledge. I got to know myself and found out what I was capable of.
All this sounded unreal before trying it out on my own, especially because I've heard the opposite over and over again, from most of my friends and family. Here's a few points:
I was told to have a job first because:
- I'll learn how to work with people.
- I'll gain experience in a company, that'll also be good for your CV.
- I'll have a fixed 8 - 16 schedule, just like school.
I was told to continue having a job because:
- I'll have a stable income.
- I'll have a fixed, organized schedule.
- A job assures me a pension.
- Freelancing is not enough to add to my CV.
- I'd be like normal people.
There will always be pluses and minuses in every decision you make, always sacrifice something for something better. I've been a freelancer since 2012, and even to this day, I am proud of not listening to most people around me, and listening to my insticts instead.
Here's how I see it:
| Having a job | My translation |
|---|---|
| You'll learn how to work with people. | You might be in a situation where you're forced to work with people you don't like or don't fit, people that are lazy and leave all work on you. |
| You'll have a fixed 8 - 16 schedule, just like school. | Yep, that ugly alarm every, single, weekday morning is going to make your life very organized. Or you might end up working like a little robot, while thinking about that soft bed at home you miss so much. |
| You'll have a stable income. | Until you don't. People can get suddenly fired because the company is losing money, or you're simply told that "your services are no longer needed". |
| You'll have a fixed, organized schedule. | Say goodbye to all those morning where you could open your eyes without an alarm, tuckle a little longer in bed, dream a bit more about how good life is. Your time is now owned by your boss, and he tells you that's what it means to be an adult ;) |
| A job assures you a pension. | True. It saves a percentage of your monthly salary into a trust fund. But you can also save pension money all by yourself. |
| Freelancing is not enough to add to your CV. | Unless it helps you build a strong portfolio and gain experience working with customers. |
| You'll be like normal people. | Wasn't it enough that you had to wear the same uniforms in school, think the same way as all the other kids, learn the same things, do the same things, wake up at the same time? Don't you think it's time to prove what you're made of, instead of continuing to wake up at the same time as others, have the same desk, same chair, same coffee breaks, same unfulfilled dreams? |
Conclusion
You might be a student that recently graduated, or just a person that was never good in school and doesn't feel worthy of starting a business or working as a freelancer. In both cases, you know you want to think free, work freely, and you have all the will and dedication to make this come true. But you're afraid to start, so you're thinking of getting a job first. I was afraid everytime I was about to cross an important barrier of my life, but that was a good sign. It meant that I was about to accomplish something that was going to make me better, stronger, happier. Isn't that the whole point of living?
Am lucrat si eu ca si freelancer o lunga perioada de timp, din aceeasi dorinta de a nu avea un SEF. Ma bucur ca am luat decizia de a fii pe cont propriu si desii acum am raspuns afirmativ la chemarea unei companii de a fi angajatul lor constant, daca imi place un proiect care mi se ofera mai lucrez si ca freelancer. Consider ca oricarui freelancer care i s-ar oferii posibilitatea sa lucreze intr-un mediu in care se poate dezvolta profesional, personal si in acelasi timp sa nu se simta presat de acesti NUMITI SEFI, nu ar refuza aceasta propunere. In rest sa fii freelancer este minunat, dar trebuie sa stii cum sa iti asezi proiectele sa nu te trezesti ca din 8 ore ai ajuns sa lucrezi 16 (ce e drept ca simti banii pentru care lucrezi).
You're told to have a job because that's the easy option. ;) And because most people love the easy option.
I don't have the experience you do, but - after a little over one year of freelancing - I realized it's not for everybody. You need more discipline and as well I think you use more energy for those work hours you put in, because on this side, nobody pays you to just wait for those 9 to 5 hours to pass, right? :)
I'm curious how do you cope with the other aspects of freelancing.
You're perfectly right! Although it's funny... To me, the easy option seems the hardest, because if you end up having a job you hate (like many do), you have to put up with it every single day. I'd get mad :) Wouldn't you? But yes, it's financially easier since you get paid as soon as you start work, vs. when you start freelancing.
Discipline - exactly. That's one of the most challenging parts. I still deal with it, but it keeps me awake :) I'll write about that in the next post, thanks for sharing.
What are the other aspects of freelancing from your perspective?
And did you start freelancing first, or had a job before?
I've had quite a few jobs before, but I love my freedom more than my stability, so I ended up freelancing. :D And somehow I always tend to choose the hard way. :))))
One of the most important thing for me right now is the time of day I choose to do my work on. I'm an early morning person - I just finished my main work already by the way, before 0830 am - so if I don't work in the morning, it becomes harder and harder to do something. I experienced with different times throughout the day but I keep coming back to mornings, early or at least before 12. In the afternoon or evening I'm almost never able to work. :)
Imagine that the day barely starts for most people and you've already finished most of your work for the day. How do you think that feels like? ;)
There are other important aspects, like taking days off or vacations. Because I never know if I'm going to have enough work next month, I tend to choose work over relaxation all the time. And that led me to a burnout last autumn. But that's where savings come into play. A good amount of money set aside, so you know you can live for 3 to 6 months without working feels very important to me.
And then there's the fact that I have no work colleagues. There are more aspects, but let's keep it short here. There are articles to be written on the subject. ;)
It seems to me that you would enjoy writing a post about this subject :) Why not do it?
Oh yes, vacation. I imagined that when I'll get to be a freelancer, I'll get as many vacations as I want to, work whenever and from anywhere I want to. Apparently it's not that easy, right? :)
Yes, you work mostly alone. Unless you pick projects where you need to team up with others. Hm...
Is that a polite way of saying that my comments are too long? :P
Maybe I will. There're so many ideas, but little time for them all. :) I guess that's the moment when one should think of getting a vacation, right? :D
Not at all! You seem to have many things to say, and I would just be curious to read some posts about your freelancing experience :) Does that sound absurd? :D
Mmmmm vacation. Seems so far away. Because I don't live in my homecountry, almost all my vacations go there and back. And in most cases, I don't have the time and money to go for a second trip within the same year. But who knows, maybe Steemit will finally give me the opportunity to travel somewhere else than visit my family :)
No, it's not absurd, I was joking. :P I'll probably write stuff about that. Thanks for the interest. :)
Where do you live? I thought grass was greener on the other side, whatever side that is. :D
That'd be interesting :)
I'm originally from Romania. You're probably from there too right?