For many people, a freelancing career is both very gratifying and attractive. If you’ve ever thought of freelancing as a career option, you should be aware of its advantages and disadvantages before making a decision.;
Pros (Advantages)
Multiple sources of income – You can decide to be a freelancer as a part-time job and work at your regular job too. All that is needed from you is mastery of time management and self-management. You can decide to set apart time for your freelancing work according to the workload that you have for your regular job.
Self-Management – Being a freelancer you have to have the ability to have self-control. You have to bear in mind that you are the driver of your career and every decision that you make will affect you positively or negatively. Personal values play a key role in this as they offer guidance and act as motivators.
Flexible Hours – Since you are your boss, you get to decide when to work and when to do other things. By doing this, your life is not all about work and you can strike a work-life balance which is important in that you will not feel like you are missing out on life due to work.
Location Flexibility – Freelancers have the autonomy of working from anywhere since they work remotely. This is such a great thing in that you can decide to work from the comfort of your own home away from destruction and it increases levels of productivity or you can decide to carry work with you wherever you go.
Choose the work you want – if you are trying to decide whether to become a freelancer, then this is a great point to consider as you have the freedom to choose work that you want to do and also you can turn down work depending on the workload at hand and the kind of work it is.
Variety in daily activities – Work-life balance is very important in your life. Getting to understand that, will help you plan your daily activities more productively. You decide a time for work and time for other activities e. g You can decide to be taking walks after every assignment or take short breaks in between work to listen to music or chat with a friend.
Improved skill set – It is said that the more you do something, the better you become at it. By practicing your freelancing skills, you get mastery of work which increases your chances of getting more work.
Work with diverse clients and gain experience – freelancing exposes you to different environments, people, and types of work. With this, you can learn from the different clients and the work that you do. This also helps in the mastery of interpersonal skills which will go a long way in your career path.
CONS OF FREELANCING CONSULTANT IN LEEDS
Freelancers don’t get employee benefits– Since you are your boss, and you don’t get to enjoy benefits that people who are fully employed enjoy like pension and healthcare payments. This means that anything you need you provide for yourself.
Income can be inconsistent – Freelancers are paid for work that they have done which means that if you do not have any workload, you will not get paid.
You pay for equipment and repairs – Clients do not care how you do your job so long as the work is done and in good time. This means that you procure all the required materials and equipment that are needed to do your job.
CONCLUSION
If you are considering venturing into this career path, the above-mentioned pointers should be considered so that you make an informed decision.
Get in touch with Trevor Gaughan, an experienced freelance consultant based in Leeds, UK. Contact him to discuss your consulting requirements and benefit from his expertise.
