Moving into a freelance career is probably something many young professionals have though of. Admittedly, it’s a scary step; you’ll lose out on benefits, a steady salary and a workplace that provides motivation. Once you get the ball rolling, though, you’ll probably find it hard to fall back into the 9 to 5…
No Horrible Bosses
You may have to work for over-demanding clients at times, but at least you won’t have to answer to bosses. There will be no emergency meetings or surprise deadlines thrown upon you. This means that your evening plans, for the most part, can stop being tentative. Nope, you will never feel like there is someone looking down your shoulder. Which is good, especially since you could be working in sweatpants and a facemask or in bed via your laptop.
Flexibility
You can determine when and where you work. For those who didn’t get their travel bug out of their system in their early twenties, you don’t have to worry about asking for vacation time or coordinating your days off with employees. You have the freedom to take time off to do a course, have a child, or move into your first home. If you’re sick, you don’t have to feel accountable or guilty for missing work and staying in your pajamas all day. The flexibility can reduce every day stress, like the ability to avoid the subway or busy city streets during rush hour. The mid-day yoga class will help with stress levels, too.
No Salary Caps
Providing you’re met with a degree of success, you are as busy as you’d like to make yourself, meaning that the amount of money you make is dependent on how far you want to take your business. Whereas you can work your butt off, jump through every hoop imaginable and clock in countless hours of overtime in certain professions, only to ever make no more than a defined amount, as a freelancer you can work as much or as little as you want and it will be reflected in your salary. If you choose to take on more clients and commit to triple the workload in the winter months when you have more time, you will be compensated correspondingly.
Write It Off
While working for a company ensures the comfort of medical and dental benefits, freelancers may write a variety of daily costs off. This could include car or public transit costs, client lunches, office equipment, bank fees and phone and Internet bills. Furthermore, your daily expenses may be less than if you were to work in a typical office job – in everything from wardrobe (in an office, you’ll need a plentiful rotation of work clothes), coffee (the three trips to Starbucks daily add up), and the obligatory after-work drinks.
May Help Your Relationship
People who freelance are better able to work their work pattern to sync with their significant other’s schedule. Countless young professionals will attest that work can have very negative effects on the working of relationships; predominantly due to scheduling issues and work-related stress. If at least one of you is able to bend a little, you may get to see one another more. Not to mention, you won’t have to worry about someone being home when all the furniture for your new place arrives.
Variety
One of the biggest draws for freelancers is the ability to choose the type of work/clients with whom he or she would like to work. The variety of clients means you will be exposed to different companies and niches, with no day mundane if you don’t want it to be. Not only will you have variety when it comes to your clients, you will with your working conditions as well. If you feel like switching it up and getting out of your office or home, and relocate to a coffee shop, wine bar or poolside, you can!
Photo courtesy Batwinas.com