To be our own bosses is a dream come true job everybody in the world. Most people see freelancing as a chance of working on their own time, enjoying breaks when they want, billing hours from café while sipping a cup of fresh coffee and working, taking projects which they want, skipping a day without having to apply for leave or taking permissions. But are these perks enough for you to leave your regular job and take up freelancing jobs?
The answer is a straightforward ‘no’. On the surface you might see a freelancer as a master of his/her will but in reality before giving up your full time job or choosing between freelancing and full time job you need to know think carefully about whether you have the qualities and skills needed to make it as a freelancer. There are some things which you will need to give up and some things which need to adapt to succeed as a freelancer. In this post, we will take a look at some of the things, which will help you decide whether you are up to it, or not?
Can you survive with variable income?
A freelancer’s income depends on the type of project he or she has in hand. Some months you will have many projects in hand and earn more than your average but in some months you might not have so many projects in hand and the income might not be so much. Also you will not be paid when you are on vacation or have to leave a project in midway. Therefore, think whether you can manage your finances even in slump.
Also when you are just starting your jobs you might not be paid as much as you want, therefore can you manage in the starting days?
Can you work alone?
As a freelancer you will have to work alone a lot. There will be no time for office gossips or taking help from your friends. Most of the times you will be sitting alone on the desk of your home or rented office space and working. Therefore it will be entirely up to you to make your workplace as conductive as work at you can.
Can you push yourself out of bed even when you have nowhere to go?
Most of the newbie freelancers fail because of they cannot push themselves to get out of bed because they have nowhere to go. Think about it hard whether you can pull yourself out of the bed and fix a working time for yourself when you have nowhere to go.
Can you take criticism and failure?
As a freelancer you will not get every job that you will apply for. Also sometimes it might also happen that the client will reject your work or criticize it rather harshly. You will have to take the flak alone and might have to meet very tight deadlines. Therefore ask yourself how well you can handle criticism and failure. You can take the help of your family and friends and they will be truly able to help you figure out your this nature.
Can you deal with difficult clients?
Each freelance project that you will be getting will have a different requirement and every client needs to be handled differently. Do you have any experience in handing difficult clients and do you have the ability to self-market yourself to even the pickiest of clients? These are the two questions, which you need to ask yourself before starting out as a freelancer. Remember everything including marketing, gathering the required equipment, doing research and delivering the project to the client will have to be handled by you and you alone.
About K Saravana Kumar
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