We’ve all got our own reasons for considering freelance work.
They often tend to sound something like this:
- You are starting to go stir-crazy at your current job.
- You want more control over your creative projects.
- You’re not sure whether you’d like to work in-house or in an agency.
But before you take the leap, let’s make a little list of common pros and cons to look at both sides equally.
Pros:
You are the one with all the power.
You are your own boss: you decide your projects, you make your timetable and you aren’t tied down. You make your own routine, and you are the one with the sole power to break it.
There’s more variety.
As a freelancer, you will be exposed to a wider range of projects, clients and environments, which will give you valuable experiences and improve your skill set.
You’re (generally) more productive
Without the daily onslaught of meetings, phone calls, colleague interruptions and emails pinging into your inbox every ten seconds, you can actually focus on the work at hand and ease into your zone much more efficiently.
Cons:
You’ll lose your job security.
With a ‘regular’ job (vs a freelance job), you know exactly when your bank account will be replenished, and how much to expect. As a freelancer, every month can look different and this lack of regularity can be intimidating to some.
The paperwork is all yours.
This means you need to do your own taxes, keep a close and careful watch on your finances. This isn’t an impossible feat by any means; it just takes more effort on your part to sort everything out.
Also, be sure to think through your potential liabilities and consider how your company could benefit from public liability and a host of other benefits.
It’s harder to keep your work life and real life separate.
When you are in charge of your hours, it can be hard to completely switch off and not let work bleed into your social life. It can also be difficult to plan holidays, as you never know when a job could come through.
But the phrase ‘pros and cons’ is, in itself, problematic because it’s so subjective. The pros and cons of freelancing are essentially one and the same; it all depends on how you look at things. The main thing to take away from this is that it’s completely doable; it’s up to you to take the plunge!
Need more to read? Check out Creative Bloq’s ultimate guide to being a freelance designer (although you don’t have to be a designer to take away valuable advice).
