Freelancing As A Career
Tony Jacowski
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 (
http://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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