Self Employment Reasons
My parents have been self-employed for years. While I probably will be self-employed soon too, I can understand people being hesitant about it.
Being self-employed certainly has its advantages. The biggest advantage I can think of is the freedom that comes with it. You are in control of your work schedule, not someone else. You don't have to report for a certain number of hours to someone else's place of employment. You don't have to follow someone else's rules, someone else's dress code, someone else's expectations. You are your own boss.
The problem with being your own boss is that you can't escape from that. If you're self-employed and you have an office to do your work outside of your home, self-employment could be less stressful. Having the work in your home means you can never get away from it. Even if you're not working and you're just relaxing at home, that pile of work is in the back of your mind constantly because it's probably not more than a few yards away. Even it that work is something you enjoy, it's good to get away from work once in a while, and that's difficult to do if you're working from home.
Self-employment can also be a stressful experience for someone who isn't good at keeping themselves motivated. If you're self-employed, you won't have a boss breathing down your neck making sure you're getting your work done. If you can keep yourself motivated, that can be a good thing. If your self-employment is your only source of income and you can't motivate yourself to do the work on your own, then you'll probably face money problems and a lot of stress in the future. You may even have to take a job for a while to keep up with your bills. Self-employment doesn't work for people who can't motivate themselves and reach the goals they set for themselves.
Self-employment also isn't always the best source of income, not a steady income at least especially if you're involved in freelance work. If you're self-employment is based on freelance work and you don't know exactly how much money you'll make each month, it's a good idea to have some kind of backup plan ready, whether it's getting another job or investing some of your money.
If you are thinking of becoming self-employed, there are many things to consider. You need to be able to motivate yourself. You need to know ahead of time if you'll actually be able to support yourself before you make any commitments. And you need to be sure you have a strong enough will to be your own boss.
