Freelancing is playing an increasingly important role in our society, especially in the web design field where you can pretty much work anywhere. And though a lot of people think that working in your P.Js is a dream come true, it does come with its own disadvantages.
The advantages of freelancing
- I can work whenever I want
- It’s easier to schedule my time
- I can work in a broader context, have one project feed off another (like a cms)
- I can pick and choose my projects instead of being assigned them
- I can deduct some of my home expenses like rent.
- I can use any software that I like
- Harmless sites aren’t blocked by company restrictions
- I can take time to work on personal projects
- I can schedule breaks or vacations whenever it’s convenient
- I learned a lot about business and finances, something which has helped me in many areas.
- I can use whatever equipment that I want
- I can complete control over how much I make
- I don’t have to commute
- It’s easier to eat healthier
The disadvantages of freelancing
- It’s much harder to network
- It can get lonely at times
- I can’t get the creative spontaneity that I would by working with other people.
- I don’t always know when the next paycheck is coming
- Doing all the business and creative work can be overwhelming
- I have to promote myself constantly
- It’s easier to get distracted
- Family and friends have the tendency to interrupt me while I’m working
- It can be stressful juggling multiple projects
- I’m not able to tackle projects that a larger team could
- It’s easy to get sucked into working all the time because the line between work and home is so thin
- You have to buy all your own equipment and software
- You have to pay additional taxes on your income
- I must provide customer support on top of creative work
What are your thoughts?
Do you work from home? What do you like most or least about freelancing?
Comments
Post by Luke on August 13, 2009
I recently had a design studio but due to the UK crunch I am now back to freelance, but it has to be said all in all I think I always get a lot more done, I have better concentration and work harder working from home! And with the lonley side of it I just make up for that at the evening and weekends!!