Pros and cons of being a freelancer

For many people, the idea of being your boss and calling the shots is a dream. They want it because it sounds great, and it is great. However, being a freelancer has its fair of drawbacks. Before you decide to become one, you have to ensure you are making the right decision. Here are the pros and cons of being a freelancer to help you make the right decision.

The pros of being a freelancer are:

You enjoy flexible working hours

As a freelancer, you follow your timetable, you decide your working hours. You can decide to sleep all through the day and work through the night or vice versa. You do not have to fix a work schedule. As such, you have more freedom to do what you want with your time. You are free to do other things as well, according to your capacity.

You have control over your clients

You have the opportunity to choose whom to work with or not. Even though you rely on clients to make money just like every other business, you are not forced to keep working with someone who is making your life miserable. You can choose the details of your relationship with a client as well. For instance, you can specify how many times you want to review the work and when you want to receive your payment in the contract. Besides, you have the freedom to work with as many clients as you like. You are expected to owe allegiance to a particular brand or individual.

You have control over where you work from

A regular staff has no freedom about location; they have to be present at the company to work. However, a freelancer does not necessarily need to go to an office, except if they rent an office space for meeting with clients. You can even meet with clients at your favorite café. You can choose to work on an exotic island or in the beautiful countryside in another part of the world. Whichever location you choose to work from is not a problem as your work is remote.

You consciously learn new skills

Because most freelancers work alone, they have to develop a wide range of skills. In freelancing, the freelancer is the marketer, sales manager, records keeper, etc. As a freelancer, the quality of your livelihood depends on this range of skills – marketing, networking, communication, sales, technology, etc. Therefore, freelancers are in the business of constant self-development. And as you increase your capacity, you increase your value and relevance and in turn, your price in the market. 

The drawbacks of being a freelancer are:

Finding the right freelancing platforms

You would need to register on a freelancing platform where you can find clients and clients can find you. It is important to look for the right platform to register your services. The right platform should have a lot of employers so that it is easy for you to get jobs even as a starter. They should also have the right features such as milestone and escrow so that you do not work and the client absconds without paying you. You can read user experiences about freelancing platforms on us-reviews before settling for the freelancing platform you will register with.

You have to provide your working tools

When you get a job with a company, they would provide you with the major things that you would need to work. These would include table, chairs, computers, and every other tool they know you would need to do your job. As a freelancer, you would need to provide all of those for yourself. Hence, if you do not have the funds, you might have to consult finance companies to help you with loans that you can use to get the equipment. You can subsequently pay back after you are able to raise the loan (and accompanying interest) from your freelancing jobs.

You are mostly isolated

As a freelancer, you may begin to miss the camaraderie between coworkers in companies. This is because you work alone most times and there is no one to chit-chat with or share funny moments. You have no one to share ideas with or get different thoughts from about a project you are working on. If you do not consciously plan to go out, you may end up staying cooped up indoors without seeing natural light for months. However, you can deal with isolation by deliberately engaging in physical activities.

Your schedule can be stifling

Even though you have flexible working hours as a freelancer, you are never really free, especially if you get jobs often. You are not able to take the weekend off, go on leave, or get work-free holidays. This is because you have pressing deadlines and the work never stops coming in. Most times, you will be stretched out thin but still not be able to stop working. Your capacity to juggle many things at the same time is put to the test every day.

You are most likely to have a rough beginning

Many people believe that freelancing is all rosy and brings in a lot of money the moment you start. The truth is that it is usually hard when you are starting as a freelancer. You may have to go for the first months without getting a job and struggle with your bills during this period. Except you have no passion for the job anymore, you should not give up. With persistence, you will break even and eventually start to earn the big money you want.

No job is without its drawbacks, and freelancing is no exception. You can be extremely successful as a freelancer; if you feel you can deal with the drawbacks and manage yourself well, you can launch out.