Freelancing and being self-employed is not as glamorous as most people make it out to be. It comes with both advantages and disadvantages.
If you’re thinking about getting started in freelancing or going back to a day job after struggling with freelancing, give this post a read for a list of pros and cons of being self-employed. Hopefully, I can help you make a decision. If you’ve seen pictures of digital nomads traveling around the world living a laptop lifestyle. Or Facebook posts saying freelancing is a lonely road. Let me reassure you, it’s all true.
Freelancing comes with many benefits and also downsides. However, I see it as a healthy balance of both. It’s certainly much better than the downsides of working at a day job. Here’s why.
1 Never Having To Answer To A Boss
Before starting freelancing I worked at 3 different day jobs. Even though it was a terrible time full of depressed moments, I’m thankful for the experience.
Because it allowed me to see the benefits of freelancing and truly appreciate being able to be my own boss.
You can never do great work while working at a day job.
How can you even do any work, when there’s a boss hovering over your shoulder every few minutes, criticizing your work, not appreciating your creativity, never listening to your ideas, and making you feel anxious.
Being self-employed, you won’t have to worry about any of that. Your clients will welcome your ideas, respect your thoughts, and give you the freedom to do work however you like.
But, You Have To Answer To Clients
Of course, when you’re working with clients, you’ll still have to deliver work on time, meet deadlines, receive constructive criticism from clients, and do revisions.
But, don’t confuse your clients for a boss. As a freelancer, you are your own boss!
If you feel like a client is using you, manipulating you, or making you feel depressed, you can fire them. And find another client. It’s as simple as that.
#2 You’ll Earn A Lot More Money
At the moment, I’m actually earning 20X more than the salary I was earning at my day job. My parents are still wondering if I’m running some kind of an illegal drug distribution system or something. They have no idea how it’s even possible.
It may take you a while to get there (took me 4 years of hard work), but you will earn a lot more doing freelance work than any other day job you can think of.
As long as you don’t get comfortable and keep learning new skills and improving your services, you will eventually earn more money being self-employed. I guarantee that.
