Freelancer. Pros and Cons

A freelancer is someone who works on their own, without establishing an employment relationship with the people or companies to which they provide their professional services.

Being able to work independently and, above all, from anywhere in the world is, without any doubt, one of the great benefits of working as an independent professional. For many of us, it is an ideal plan. You are free to choose your working schedule and location, without having to wear a certain outfit or waste your time in traffic jams. Best of all, you have the opportunity to do what you love.

But it is not as good as it seems. It also has drawbacks. Let's look at the pros and cons:

PRO - Freedom of schedules.

One of the greatest benefits of being a freelancer is that you have much more time flexibility than when you work for someone else, because you are not obliged to sign in or stick to the schedule set by the company. You can complete tasks at your own pace, as long as you meet the client's deadlines and requirements. It is a great advantage for reconciling work and family life, as you do not have to ask for permission to take your children to the doctor or to bring some papers to your bank or to sign a deed at the notary or to visit a sick relative.

CON - You need to be strongly organized. No dawdling or procrastinating. Don't know what procrastination is? I explain you in this other entry. You have to work hard to achieve your goals. You can take a Wednesday off to go shopping or to the movies, then if you have to work on Sunday, that's it.

PRO – Determine workload and choose projects. Being a freelancer gives you the opportunity to work on the projects you like the most.

Unlike salaried jobs where you can't say no even if you're overloaded, freelancers decide their own workload. Of course, if you can work for a boss who pays overtime, you can make more money working for someone else. However, very few companies pay overtime. Instead, if you work as a freelancer, you can work at your own pace and find the best time to dedicate yourself to each project, without interruptions or lack of concentration.

CON – It is not easy to get a regular flow of work. You'll have times of overload and times when no one remembers you. This is called "the cycle of feast or famine", and here I explain it a bit longer. Until you manage to find your place among the professionals in your sector, you will have to accept boring or uninteresting projects to get a regular income.

PRO – Work from home.

Another point in favor of being a freelancer is that you can do many services and tasks through the Internet. Therefore, you can work from home, without wasting your productive and valuable time in commute. As a freelancer, you only need your laptop and an internet connection to work on your projects, from home or on the go. You can attend to orders and queries while on vacation and enjoy your free time without neglecting your business.

CON – If you don't know how to disconnect, you will end up working 24/7. Maybe you will not be working 24 hours effectively, but you will be attentive to your mail, WhatsApp or social networks. Do you want me to tell you about my odysseys working when I was on a cruise? Read here.

Social isolation is also an inconvenience to take into account. If you run your professional activity at home, you can end up being a kind of hermit and only step out on the street every now and then.

PRO – You decide how much your work is worth. One of the biggest benefits of freelancing is that the value you get from your work isn't completely predetermined.

This means that you can earn more money as a freelancer than on a fixed salary. Of course, whether you achieve true financial independence will depend on the quality of your work and your ability to find customers. By working independently, you make direct connections with clients, allowing you to customize terms and conditions and set your own rates. In addition, the profit is 100%, so you can offer a better service at a more competitive price.

CON – All this is very nice as a theory, but competition is really fierce and you have to do your calculations very well, offer excellent work and have an established reputation so you don't run out of work.

PRO – Constant learning. Being a freelancer offers you the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of clients and projects. You will always be learning new things.

You will be able to update yourself with new knowledge and trends and become more and more technical. This also means that the higher your skill level and technical knowledge, the more services you can offer and the more opportunities you will have.

CON – You need to pay for this learning. The company that hires a freelancer is not required to provide special equipment or pay additional benefits, such as vacations, bonuses or training courses, as they do with their own employees. You will have to take the time and money from your own resources to train properly and keep up to date.

Surely, it’s not an easy task, but I am convinced that it is worth it. I have been a freelancer since 2018; I previously worked as an employee and, within the unpleasantness of uncertainty, every day I am surer that I made the right decision.