5 Reasons Why a Freelancer Career May Not Be Right for Your Lifestyle
Recent years have seen a massive shift towards more freelance roles as workers move away from more standard roles. Many see the open schedules, light workloads, and flexibility of the freelance lifestyle as major advantages that traditional office workers can’t match.
Sign up forfree
Forgot your password?
Create an account
*Required: 8 chars, 1 capital letter, 1 number
By continuing, you agree to thePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Use.You also agree to receive our newsletters, you’re able to opt-out any time.
1. Freelancers Need a Lot of Availability
If you are used to a standard 9 to 5 work schedule 5 days a week, the standard freelancer schedule may come as a bit of a nasty shock. Far from many would-be freelancers’ dreams of days spent lounging on the beach between jobs, you’ll need near-constant time on the clock.
Jobs may come close together, or even overlap, with clients in a wide variety of locales. This means that your clock is going to need to sync with theirs, leaving you taking meetings and calls at all hours.
You may also find yourself needing to be open to taking on work on the weekends to meet deadlines, meaning that you won’t get consistently scheduled off days. If you struggle with a shifting schedule, including unusual hours, a career as a freelancer may be more stressful than expected.
2. Finding Work as a Freelancer Is Difficult
Finding contract work isn’t as simple as declaring yourself a freelancer and waiting for the work to roll in. Locating new jobs will take a lot of legwork, a lot of rejection, and a lot of communication. There are plenty of opportunities out there in the market, but you’ll be far from alone in your hunt to snag some.
You may find that work is hard to find through the standard channels. There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to finding gig-style work, but you may need to step off the beaten path for the best results. Ideally, check for niche sites that focus on your particular specialty to decrease competition. The tech industry, in particular, has a large array of sites dedicated to contract work.
Until you have a strong set of regular clients or have secured a long-term contract or two, you’ll need to take a lot of time finding ways to get out there. There are plenty of sites dedicated to companies and individuals offering gig-style work, but even through these sites, you will need to work to send out messages and offers.
Many new freelancers aren’t prepared for the sheer amount of work necessary to bring in jobs. Searching for new opportunities can quickly become exceptionally difficult, and frustrating if you’re not prepared.
3. Balance Can Be Hard to Maintain as a Freelancer
The unfortunate truth of having a severely variable schedule combined with needing extra time just to find work is that a healthy work-life balance can be hard to achieve.
Unlike a traditional job, which already offers a solid schedule, you will need to schedule time off by choosing not to take on new work for a period. While this might mean you get a little time to relax, it also means that you won’t be making any money during this time.
While the allure of the freedom to take a trip or vacation whenever you want may be strong, the reality of freelancing is different than many imagine. Freelancing gives you the freedom to pack up whenever you would like, but you may lack the time. You may also find that those trips you take turn into working vacations that are far more work than sightseeing.
Worse yet, time taken off may lead to lost clients who have no obligation to wait on your return to get the work they need to be done. To find balance, you’ll need to walk a fine line between making sure you have time to decompress and keeping the cash and work flowing.
4. Freelancing Work Requires a Lot of Dedication
Keeping up with work as a freelancer requires an above-average amount of dedication. While a more standard job may not offer as much flexibility as a freelance position does, that flexibility can be an issue.
When you work as a freelancer, you won’t have the structure of an 8-hour day in the office to fall back on. If you need to step out in the middle of the day to take an appointment or run to the store, you can. If this gets overused, however, you will end up with missed deadlines and failed projects.
Having the dedication to hold to deadlines and get your work done is an essential skill that not all freelancers can manage. The work you find yourself doing may also be highly repetitive, adding extra stress. Finding anoutlet to help you stay creativewhen doing freelance work is essential.
As an additional issue, freelancers often face concerns over potential burnout. Over time, an inconsistent schedule, odd hours, and the constantly shifting job market can cause considerable mental stress. The need for a strong and consistent drive can cause freelance work to be more difficult for some than for others.
5. Freelancers Need to Be Jacks of All Trades
To turn freelancing from a side hustle to a full-time job, you need to be more than an expert in just one category. Depending on where your particular expertise lies, opportunities may not be as plentiful as you would like.
The simplest fix for this issue is to expand your skill set into as many related fields as possible to widen the array of contracts you can take. If you don’t feel comfortable shifting into as many different aspects of your chosen field as possible, you may not like your prospects for freelancing.
Even once you have a wide array of skills, however, you’ll need to dedicate time towardskeeping up with industry standards. One of the best parts of freelancing is that you will rarely be called upon to use only a single skill.
You will have plenty of chances to learn on the job and expand into new areas. If you aren’t a fan of taking on new and unknown challenges, and jumping into contracts that don’t quite match your resume, this may prove more stressful than you’d like.
Freelancing Work Isn’t for Everyone
Ultimately, while it is possible to freelance in almost any career, not everyone should shift their career over to taking contracts. Between the strenuous schedule, the difficulty in finding work, and the dedication required to keep cash flowing, the work isn’t for everyone.
You’ll need to carefully consider whether your skillset, interests, and level of commitment will enable you to find success on your own. It is important to understand that for all the benefits that freelancing comes with, there are plenty of downsides as well.
Are you a freelancer looking for the perfect CMS? Here are some things to consider before making your decision and choosing the right one.
When your rival has to bail out your assistant.
Windows is great, but adding this makes it unstoppable.
Goodbye sending links via other apps.
My foolproof plan is to use Windows 10 until 2030, with the latest security updates.
So much time invested, and for what?
