Everyone is different and so is their means of livelihood. Some people are not just meant for the nine to five office jobs and they choose to work from the luxury of their homes. They are called freelancers. With growing urbanisation and technology, diverse fields of occupation provide their employees with the opportunity to work in their own space and schedule. The internet has merged the communication gap to a great extent which helps them to produce and deliver quality work even when they are far away from their office location. Some freelancers choose to work with a brand/company/organisation by associating with them on contract while others don’t commit to them and works on demand and supply basis. Basically, they get paid for what they bring in. However, like any other regular job, freelancing has its own perks and downsides.
What is so great about freelancing?
Flexibility in the work schedule
You know what’s the worse thing about mornings? Waking up and getting ready for work. But for freelancers, there is no such commitment. You may have a deadline but it’s up to you whether you want to start your assignment early in the morning or late at night. You can easily fulfil family commitments, downtime with friends and still work a full-time job.
Produce better quality work
Everyone cannot sit on that wooden chair and work effectively for 8 hours straight. When you are expected to produce A grade results in an environment that lacks motivation, you end up unsatisfied and your boss is unsatisfied too! In offices, there are people having conversations all around you which often leads to lack of concentration. When you’re in your home or in a café working on your project, you can block the distractions out to really focus on work.
You are less likely to get sick
A survey conducted on the similar subject concluded that people who work from home or places they feel comfortable in are less likely to fall sick. With modern revolutions, offices are getting out of cubicles and working in common areas to increase communication which is also increasing the risk of catching contagious diseases. People working in offices take 62% more sick days and freelancing shields you from getting these bugs in your system as you operate remotely with your officials.
What is not so great about freelancing?
Your cash flow may become inconsistent
Your rent needs to be paid each month, you have to eat, pay the electricity bill, shop for essentials and these costs don’t adjust themselves to your freelancing income. Unless you have regular clients or companies that are sure of hiring you every month of the year, your income won’t arrive in an evenly placed manner.
Lack of Company bound benefits
As an independent worker, you will miss out on the employer-provided benefits such as health insurance, sick leaves, vacation pay, pension etc. These benefits become really expensive once you have to achieve them by yourself.
