Much is written about the freelancing industry, most of it usually discussing its benefits or disadvantages. However, what is not considered as often as it should be is whether freelancing is a good choice for everyone?
Having worked freelance for many years, I have seen several people come into this sector only to throw in the towel after just a few months. More than often, people discover that though it is more than possible to make a profitable living by freelancing, some also realize that they simply aren’t cut out to be a freelancer.
I believe that some people are great at freelancing where others are great at working in a more organized environment. Therefore, I always tell people to think about the person they are before looking into a freelancing career:
- Are You Organized? There’s no getting away from this fact – you must be super-efficient and organized to work freelance. You are responsible for arranging your contracts, your working days, your paperwork and your finances.
- Are You Motivated? Can you manage a full day’s worth of work without being told what to do and when? When you take yourself out of an organized office type environment, you no longer have a supervisor peering over your shoulder at random times throughout the day. Neither does anybody have your back. You need to be able to motivate yourself if you are to get any work completed, and, of course, get paid!
- Are You Resilient? There will be times when your patience is tested as a freelancer. Can you be sure you will stick out such rough times? With demanding clients, late payments and quieter work periods, you will need to keep going throughout all such times when freelancing.
Ultimately, do you believe in yourself and your abilities to make it in this often cut-throat world? This isn’t the easiest of routes by far, but if you can persevere when the going gets tough, you may just have found your next move!
