Big Advantages to Freelancing
Many people punch the clock each day, dreaming of owning their own business. Some people dread when the alarm clock sounds off each morning and hit snooze for as long as they can, simply because they do not want to go to the office. Then there is a section of the working community that wakes up each day with a smile on their face. Who is this insane group of people? They are freelancers and they love their jobs. You might be asking yourself what is sogreatabout being a freelancer, and that is a good question.
- No boss
When you do freelance work, you do not have a boss to answer to every day. Freelancers are their own boss and do not have to worry about being fired or calling in sick. They do not have a boss breathing down their necks every time they turn around, nor do they have one telling them how badly they messed up. Freelancers are the only ones making decisions and judging themselves.
- No coworkers
Most people have had that one coworker that they just could not get along with. You know the one; they think they are in a competition with everyone else in the workplace. How about the office gossip or the break-room bully? Freelancers do not have those annoying coworkers to deal with during their workday. No office tension or politics to worry about is a huge advantage to being a freelancer.
- Work when you want
As a freelancer, you set your own schedule. You can work 12 hours a day or 2, it is up to you. You might have a deadline to turn in a project to your client, but it is up to you whether you work on it during the day, night or split it up. You can also take a break when you are in between projects, without having to beg your boss for the time off! The nice thing is you do not have to set an alarm to be up and at the office at a certain time. You can take a break anytime you need it and you decide when your workday is done.
- No workplace distractions
You do not have the constant background noise of the common workplace. No ringing phones (except your own), no office chatter and no having to try and concentrate on what you are saying on the phone while other people around you are talking on their phones. You can have a nice quiet work area or blast your stereo, the choice is yours!
- Choice of projects/clients
Freelancers have the luxury of picking and choosing the jobs and clients they accept. If they have a bad experience with a client, they can choose not to work with them again. Freelancers can accept as many or as few jobs as they see fit. In a typical workplace environment, the boss tells you what they want done and you do it or you may not have a job anymore! When you work for someone else, you do not have the luxury of hand-picking your customers/clients.
- Control over your income
Freelancers are in total control of how much or how little they make in a day/week/month. They also never have to beg for a raise. Many freelancers set their own prices for the work they do and are not at the mercy of what a company feels like paying them. This advantage of freelancing is an extremely important one. It is very empowering as well as comforting to know you are truly in charge of your own success.
Obviously being a freelancer is not for everyone, otherwise there would be more people doing it. Some people have trouble motivating themselves and need a structured workplace environment and that is fine. For all of the freelancers out there that love what they do, the rewards far outweigh any possible disadvantages.
