When we are in one career, it can be easy to stay put and never move on to anything else. It may be that we are unhappy in the job that we are doing, but we are so used to it by now that we just get stuck in a rut, or it could be that we are just scared of moving onto something else. The reality of it is, that if you never put yourself out there and try something new then you will never get to reap the rewards that it might bring.
After all, it is much better to try something and have it fail but know that you gave it your all, rather than to always wonder “what if.” At least if you give it a go then you will know. One of the biggest leaps that people take when they change careers is to go from being employed to becoming self-employed or being freelance. This can be a huge change but also one will be the best thing you ever do. It will enable you to have so much more freedom in your life, both to earn more and to do the hours that work around your lifestyle.
If you are wondering whether or not to go freelance, we have put together just a few reasons why it can be one of the best things that you will ever do.
You can dabble in a range of careers
One of the best things about going freelance is that you can dabble in a whole plethora of careers. If you have always wanted to do ecommerce web design services, for example, you can do this. But you can also try out freelance copywriting, web writing, content writing and photography within this. You can learn about SEO and then offer this to customers, or something else that you enjoy. The different careers or jobs that you can discover when you are freelance and that are opened up to you are incredible and you are sure to always find new things to learn and love.
It offers a new level of flexibility
When you work in an office or for someone else, then chances are that they will set your hours and where you work. This can make it very difficult if you need flexibility such as with childcare. It could mean that you miss out on dropping your children off or picking them up from school, or perhaps you get home too late to tuck them into bed at night. You also have to travel a long distance to get into an office which is costly and takes a big portion of time out of your day. When you are a freelancer you can choose to work from home, or you can work from a coffee shop or coworking space.
The options are endless and you can even switch it up throughout the week depending on what you fancy. You will save so much time from not having to travel needlessly for miles and can also be there for family members or other life commitments when you are required to. You can do things such as go to the gym or get your shopping done in the hours where everyone else is at work meaning it is much more efficient. If you are also someone that works much better early in the morning or late at night you will have the opportunity to make a work schedule that fits with this to get the most out of yourself productivity-wise.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to earnings
When you are employed by someone, your salary is determined by how much they decide to pay you. It is much harder to earn more unless you get a raise or if you are on commission, but even this is not guaranteed. When you work for yourself, the sky’s the limit when it comes to earnings. If you are having a month where you need to earn more, you can pitch out to more clients, or up to how much you charge for certain services. You can outsource some of your work if it gets too much, but you can still determine the amount of money that you make from this.
It is much easier to decide what you earn and to try to earn more money if you want to. Earnings can fluctuate greatly when you work for yourself so it is important that you might need to factor in for certain months when you don’t earn as much, but in other months you can earn a great deal more. Try to get in regular clients such as ones on retainer contracts who can keep on working with you so you have a rough idea of a base amount of money coming into your account each month.
It will teach you valuable life skills
When you are employed by someone you can sometimes be lax with your work. You can clock off early on a Friday or leave work to slide. When you work for yourself the only person that you are harming if you do this is yourself as you simply won’t get paid. Working for yourself teaches you valuable life skills such as time management, organisation and self-discipline. You learn to make yourself work even when you really don’t want to and to work to the best and highest of your ability. You will learn to be organised, ready to face anything that the day might throw at you and to deal with difficult clients.
These are just a few top reasons why becoming freelance or working for yourself is a great thing to try. If this way of life has appealed to you, then it is better to give it a go sooner rather than later – you won’t regret it. There are so many positives, just make sure you think realistically about it and decide what niche or area you would like to do this in. Think of skills that are transferable and that you can support yourself.
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