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Freelancing
as a Career
Freelancing symbolizes a profession in which an
employee who sells his services to different employers without
entering into any long-term contract with anyone of them.
It’s an enticing career that carries a certain kind of
allure. It can add spice to one’s dull life and offers
a chance to earn extra money. However, for many people it
can be a way of life. One can enjoy the luxury of being one’s
own boss.
There is a kind of freedom in freelancing
that allows the person to work on its own terms. It appears
to be very attractive, as the person can decide about the
work schedule. They often have a choice to travel to a client’s
worksite to do a job or work from home and send across the
completed project to their clients. With the major technological
advances over the last few years, it has become easier to
accomplish many jobs away from the office.
Work Culture
Freelancers usually work on a project-to-project
schedule. The project could be a movie, a video game, a compact
disc (cd), a book, an article, a consultancy, a design, a
technical report, or even a performance. Sometimes, they work
just for one client at a time, and only take on a new project
after the completion of a previous project, whereas they might
be engaged in doing a lot of different projects with different
clients, at once. Their payments can be made by the project,
hour, or by signing a contract for a specific sum. Some freelancers
choose to work as temporary workers. It generally happens
when they find themselves trapped between projects and paychecks.
Freelancers are often hired to perform a
particular job because they have the required skills that
can meet specific targets. More often than not, they work
on creative projects. The main business of freelancing business
is to remain in business itself. It implies that a freelancer
requires having a grasp of book- keeping, marketing, accounting,
tax and retirement planning. They must have the knack to drum
up new clients, to self- promote, network and organize their
work schedules.
Drawbacks When things go well, freelancing
can be immensely enjoyable, satisfying, lucrative and fascinating
to the core, but the truth lies in its irony. There are hardships
and an equal amount of luxuries in freelancing. The life of
many freelancers is clouded with uncertainty. They are generally
not sure about their next probable project and therefore,
their next source of income also remains unknown. This uncertainty
can be stressful. Also knowing that the chance of being sacked
due to a slow down of the economy can take its toll. In addition,
there is never a guarantee that that the clients today would
need their service even tomorrow.
There may be several drawbacks to freelancing
as well. Sometimes it can be hard to achieve a successful
work and life balance. It might pose certain difficulties
like trying to balance working hours with other family commitments.
These difficulties can increase manifold if the work of place
is home.
Freelancing – a career that eludes independence
requires a fair amount of commitment and honesty towards it.
A freelancer ought to be a thorough professional, as there
is a survival of the fittest maxim attached to this profession.
One must be ready to face challenges and overcome obstacles
with courage in order to progress and prosper.
Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The
MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online ( www.sixsigmaonline.org
) offers online six sigma training and certification classes
for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.
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