The Biggest Advantages Of Being A Freelancer

Having a freelancing career can be incredibly rewarding. I have been working as a freelancer since 2003, with a horrible short split of under 2 years working for an agency. And I never regretted the freelance work.

Many are afraid of freelancing and some will even tell you it is not a career option. In reality, we are talking about a career and you can turn it into a very lucrative business.

Defining Freelancing

I am sure you already know but just to keep it straight, freelancing refers to when you work for you, not for an organization on a full-time or part-time schedule. You basically work on different projects offered by different organizations/people.

Sure, there are some disadvantages when it comes to freelancing but the advantages have to be taken into account. This is what we will focus on. Below you can find the biggest advantages of being a freelancer, why people choose this career.

Several Income Sources

One of the biggest advantages of working as a freelancer is that you gain access to several income sources. There are no limits when it comes to how much can be earned, in time of course. Also, you do not have to stress about one income source, which is what you get with the regular 8 to 5 job.

People often talk about the stability of regular jobs but in today’s environment no job is truly safe. With freelancing, you can control your finances better. You can even start working on your freelancing career while you still have a job, which is how many people are doing it right now.

You Are Your Own Boss

Being your own boss is something you might want but you might feel is impossible. With freelancing it is actually a big part of the work you will do.

As a freelancer, you control the jobs you do. You can easily reject what you do not want or what you do not feel comfortable with. It is much easier to manage workdays, get the tasks done, and even control your holidays.

Wouldn’t it be great to plan a vacation exactly when you want to have it? Instead of relying on your boss to tell you when you are allowed to? And you do not even have to deal with things like bad management, office politics, and other things that are simply really stressful.

Flexible Working Hours

This is another huge benefit that needs to be highlighted in its own sub-heading. Freelancing means you get to work the hours you want to work. For instance, I always work at night since that is when I am the most productive. I couldn’t do that at a job with regular working hours.

One thing many do not realize is that not all people are productive during the regular working hours. Also, if you are very busy, you know something can always come up. The best schedule for you might not be the office schedule. Freelancing allows flexibility you cannot get with regular jobs.

Job Security

Dishonest businessmen who take advantage of their employees would want you to think that the only secure job is when you work on a regular contract in a regular office. This is 100% incorrect. In fact, your job is much more secure when you have different projects coming from different employers.

You will always find work as a freelancer, as long as you are good at your job, of course. It can be a little complicated in the beginning but after you put in the hours and you build a business, your security will simply be a lot higher.

It does not really matter what freelance work you do. Earnings will depend on how hard you work. Revenue streams can be secured without you having to worry about having your job at risk. You cannot get fired when you are a freelancer like you can in a regular office job simply because you want something better.

Flexible Working Location

Do you want to work from the park in London or from a café in Seoul? This is possible with freelancing since it allows you to work from any location with a WiFi connection in the entire world. You are not tied to one location and your laptop is literally everything you need. Work where you want!

You can even go on vacation and work a few extra hours during the evenings. Your call.

You Get Better At Work And You Do It Faster

This is an often-forgotten advantage of working as a freelancer, one I fully took advantage of. The traditional employee route means you have a job description and you do not stray out. Improving and getting better at doing other things becomes a challenge. Monotony quickly takes over and soon enough, years pass with you doing the same thing over and over again.

Freelancers can easily expand their knowledge. In fact, they naturally need to learn sales, client relations, management, marketing, and other skills that will help them land clients and expand their business. You can even learn something new from another industry and work on changing careers if you want to.

You can do very different things every day as a freelancer. In fact, one day you could be writing and the next day you could be working on a social media campaign. Then, you might do some video editing for your YouTube channel.

Traditional office jobs tend to be monotonous. You do not have to get stuck in that. Freelancing allows you to pick different jobs for different clients in different industries. New projects add variety and it is so much tougher to get bored.

If you are not bored, you are more motivated to work. And your work will be better because you are not bored. It is all connected.

Increased Creativity

The creative control you have over your work and your day-to-day actions is second to none in freelancing. You can simply choose those projects that will require you to use your creativity, which can increase your abilities and help you think differently when various situations appear.

Based on the freelance work you do, creativity can even be practiced as you pitch clients. Do not be boring when it comes to pitching and you will land even more clients.

Creativity is often overlooked and the truth is the internet is filled with recycled content. You rarely see anything original these days. Increasing your creativity can give you an edge.

You Get To Choose What Work You Do

A big reason why people are not happy with their work is that they do something they do not like. The project goes against their principles or the boss is horrible. With freelancing, you do not have to worry about anything like that.

Freelancing gives you complete control over the work you do and the people you work with. Choose only the clients who deserve you to work for them and who align with your values!

Controlled Business Growth

In business, it is very difficult to deal with fast growth. Actually, many businesses fail because they cannot deal with their growth. With freelancing, you expand and grow at a highly-controlled pace. You decide what work you will do and the number of clients you have to handle.

It is easy to start slow with freelance work, just like it is easy to expand very fast. You choose the rhythm. You choose when you add new services, when you increase your prices, when you take on new work, and when you slow down.

Improved Interpersonal Skills

Freelancers find their clients, deal with customers, and negotiate agreements. They work with several businesses. Even if you are not good at this at first, you eventually improve your interpersonal skills just by finding new clients. You basically have to.

What has to be highlighted is that interpersonal skills are not only important in business. They are also vital at home and with your friends.

The Benefits Of Working From Home

There are situations in which freelancers have an office in another location than where they live. But, this is quite rare. Most freelancers work from home. This offers some pretty interesting benefits.

The important things to remember are that you can avoid traffic jams, food expenses, clothing expenses, commuting, and all the other office irritants nobody really likes. Your lunch break is when you want it and you can go shopping whenever you want to. If you have kids, you can pick them up when you want to, and so on, and so on.

We tend to live really busy lives. More and more work seems to have to be done every day and we also have a life. We need to spend time with friends and there are always some personal interests or hobbies that can end up neglected due to lack of time.

Since you are working from home, you gain time and can relax. Your work-life balance will be better. You can avoid burnout by controlling your workload and so much more, all from the comfort of your home.

Financial Security

Last but not least, freelancers have a higher financial security. Some might want you to think otherwise but this is just a lie.

Freelancing lets you control your earnings. You choose how many projects to work on and how much you charge. You do not hope for a bonus (even if they do often come) and you do not have to beg for a raise. A freelancing business has a much higher financial security than most jobs out there.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, there are several disadvantages of working as a freelancer. But, the advantages I mentioned above heavily outweigh all disadvantages.

The truth is that working as a freelancer is not for everyone. However, for those who would be happy with such a work style, it is truly a great choice.

Originally published at https://adriancruce.com on December 12, 2022.