Freelancing offers a whole new world of opportunities. It doesn't matter whether you're a programmer, game developer, graphic designer, photographer, writer, blogger, editor, financial consultant, or a makeup artist - if your profession is not inseparable from a company, you can find your own gigs and make money on the go.
It takes a lot of courage to leave an office job and become a freelancer. However, you will gain priceless freedom that will open the doors for many challenges. If you're wondering whether or not you should enter the world of freelancing, the following 7 reasons will convince you to take a chance.
1. Freelancing is not hard when you possess the needed skills
You already have what it takes. If you have a skill that's suitable for a freelancing career, then you won't have to learn anything new; you'll just upgrade the knowledge you already have. You can really do whatever you love. There is no reason to underestimate your potential; you'll always find someone willing to pay for your skills.
Before you launch yourself into the freelancing market, it's important to analyze the supply and demand in the particular industry. If you realize there are enough opportunities to benefit from, your life will become much easier. You will do the work you like and you'll get paid for it.
2. No one will be bossing you around
Freelancers don't have bosses; they have clients. This is an equitable relationship based on fair collaboration. Don't get this wrong; you will still answer to someone. However, you can easily abandon the collaboration if you don't like the attitude of the client.
You won't be dependent upon the opinion of a boss, but you'll still have to do your best on every project you start working on. Remember: feedback is important when you're working as a freelancer. If you're working on a freelancing platform like Upwork, Elance or Freelancer, your feedback will be easily visible on your profile, so all potential clients will see it before hiring you. If, on the other hand, you decide to go become a hardcore freelancer with an independent website, you'll still have to get good reviews to build your reputation.
This means that you'll have to maintain your professionalism on a high level. However, you won't have to tolerate a frustrated boss who doesn't appreciate your efforts.
3. You will spend a lot of time alone
Freelancing is perfect for introverts. If you belong in this category of people, you'll love the fact that you won't have to have small talks with your colleagues and ask how their kids are doing even though you have zero interest in the answer.
You love hanging out with different people? You'll still find joy in freelancing. Although you'll work in a private space in your home or in a personal office, you'll still have tons of time to see everyone after working hours. Remember: this is a very flexible career, so you can make short coffee breaks and organize your time however you want. You don't have to isolate yourself from society unless that's exactly what you aim for.
4. Flexible schedule
This is often the first advantage that comes to mind when you think of freelancing: you can work at any time of the day or night as long as you meet the deadline. Of course, you will have deadlines. Your client will give you a particular timeframe in which you'll handle the project, but the way you organize your time will be up to you.
There are no office hours in this career. You can spend a day with your friends and cover the work overnight. You can go through a working binge for a week and make enough money to spend the rest of the month travelling and relaxing. You can book a ticket to a destination you always wanted to visit, book your ticket and work from there. Flexibility is a great advantage when you know how to organize your time.
5. No one will limit your creativity
You were born as a talented, creative individual who choked under the pressuring limits of conventional education? It's time to set yourself free into the freelancing market. Everyone appreciates creativity in this industry, so you'll finally get a chance to explore your ideas and share them with the world.
An app developer will certainly work under a client's instructions, but he will still have tons of space to infuse some of his personality into the project. If he has a completely unique idea for an app, he can develop it and offer it to a client. A freelance writer can work on his own projects in free time, and publish them on a blog that can get really profitable over time.
If you want to try something new and you know your idea is worth developing, then a freelancing career is the right choice for you.
6. You can start today
You don't need to set up a business to become a freelancer. Many people are afraid to try freelancing because they don't know how to start. The best thing about this industry is that it's always open for newbies. All you need to do is join a freelancing platform, start a website, or create a professional Facebook profile where you'll promote your services.
The beginnings won't be easy. If you don't have a portfolio with projects you've already completed, potential clients will hesitate to hire you. However, you can always feature samples of your work. It's important to stay persistent; the first opportunity will come up sooner or later. When you do a good job and you get nice feedback, you'll enter the freelancing market with the speed of light.
Remember: although you don't own a business, you still need to report your income to authorities.
7. Job security
Many people have great potential to become freelancers although they are unhappy with the suffocating office jobs. They remain inactive because they are have the impression that the freelancing market offers no security. First of all, let's get one thing out of the way: no office job is absolutely safe! What happens when a company goes out of business? People are left in despair!
With freelancing, on the other hand, you can never get fired. If things don't work out with a particular client, you can always proceed to the next project. Contract termination is not catastrophic when the industry offers tons of new opportunities you can benefit from.
There Is Only One Conclusion: Freelancing Is More Rewarding than You Assume
Are you ready to take a huge step into the unknown? The freelancing market is open for people with different skills and goals; all you need to do is explore your opportunities, develop a plan and put yourself out there.
The good thing is that you don't have to leave your job to make your first freelancing attempts. Find a client, start working on a project and see how it goes. You might convince yourself to leave that boring job after the first payment you receive.
