Freelance Amy

Reasons Not to Become a Freelancer: Top 10 List

2021-06-09

Woman taking writing on a notepad next to a smartphone and laptop — Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

Freelancing is a scary commitment that not everyone is cut out for. If you are unsure about whether to give up the stable 9:00 to 5:00, read these top 10 reasons not to become a freelancer in the virtual workplace.

Note #1: This post focuses on freelancers who work from a home office or coworking space.

Note #2: This post is the second part of a series. The first post described the top 10 reasons to become a freelancer in the virtual workplace.

1. You Enjoy Having Your Evenings and Weekends Off

When you are an employee, you know your schedule from day to day, for the most part at least. Freelancers may have to work weekends and evenings to meet a deadline. Or they need to make up for a bad quarter, plan for a future bad quarter, or keep a good client happy.

As an employee, you get to go home Friday night knowing that you can shut down your work email and not look at it again until Monday. Freelancers can do that too. However, they need to be well established and secure in their current client list and project schedule.

2. You Get Paid While You’re on Vacation

Several rolls of different values of U.S. currency — Image by NikolayFrolochkin from Pixabay

Even though you have to ask permission from your employer to take a vacation, that vacation is yours. No one can bother you while you’re on it. And—bonus—you get paid while just doing whatever you want. Relax on the beach, jump out of that airplane, and dance the night and day away.

Freelancers have to plan not to get paid during that time. They also need to make sure they can make ends meet before, during, and after vacations.

3. Work and Home Are Separate

Freelancers get to work from anywhere, and often that means the boundary between the office and the couch is foggy. But when you have a steady job and report to an office outside the home, you can separate your personal life more easily.

Furthermore, you can enjoy those weekends and evenings guilt-free. If you don’t see the computer or the boss, they don’t exist as far as your cat or kids are concerned. Out of sight, out of mind.

4. You Have a Stable Job

Man stands with a thoughtful expression surrounded by graphical dollar signs — Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Despite your obligation to the current project at hand, you know that as an employee you can depend on a steady paycheck. Having a stable job is one of the top reasons people tell me they don’t want to go freelance.

Freelancers have to constantly be on the hustle and must diversify their clients. They can’t depend on one big client too heavily. That’s because they could be in trouble one day if that contract goes south.

On the other hand, as an employee, you do need to make sure that you are not at risk for layoff and that you provide a valuable service to your employer.

5. You Enjoy Your Me Time

Many people who choose the freelance lifestyle cite the lack of a commute as a major reason for the switch. However, some folks enjoy the commute for the “me time.” If this is you, then you get that time to be on your own.

And if you take public transit, you get to take that time to read or daydream. You can also play games on your phone without your roommate or significant other distracting you.

6. Your Natural Rhythms Suit Traditional Schedules

An old-fashioned alarm clock next to stacks of coins that have plants sprouting from them — Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay

If you are an early bird, chances are you are well-suited to the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 (or more realistically 8:00 to 5:00). Or you may have a job with a schedule that just plain suits you. Many tech jobs don’t expect employees in the office before 10:00 a.m.!

Freelancers can have a fluctuating or tailored schedule all their own. However, if you don’t already struggle with your employer’s schedule, then this one is probably not on your list of reasons to leave the regular grind.

7. You Prefer Having Work Assigned to You

Having to hunt for your own projects may not appeal to you. Perhaps you like always having something to turn to without much struggle. And if your job is stable, the ebbs and flows are not as stressful as the ones freelancers experience.

8. You Don’t Have Space for a Home Office

A modern living room with couch, coffee table, and wall paintings — Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Now that many people are working remotely, bigger homes are in more demand. But having an office to go to means you don’t have to make room in your home.

And you may not even want to make that space anyway. Your home may be your home, and if you have an extra room, you may want it to be a gym, or craft room, or gender-appropriate cave.

9. You Can Easily Fit Exercise into Your Daily Work Schedule

Freelancers can easily/ideally find the time/space for exercise. But working in an office means you need to schedule it more strategically. However, you may work close to a gym, take your lunch breaks for exercise, or have the energy to go for a run after or before work anyway.

10. Working from Home Is Distracting

A hand holds a remote control in front a large-screen TV showing a streaming menu — Image by Andrés Rodríguez from Pixabay

Having constant access to your big-screen TV, front porch, comfy pillows, or the kitchen may distract you from work. Even if you have a co-working space, you may not have the motivation to go to it.

Smartphones can also be huge distractions. If that’s a particular issue for you, read my LinkedIn article about how to avoid them.

In contrast, working for an employer means you work at your desk, get the job done, and head home (but not before getting that me time on the commute I mentioned before). You can then escape from the obligations at the office in the evenings and on the weekends.

****

So there you have it. I hope these top 10 reasons not to become a freelancer are helpful as you decide what lifestyle works best for you. And don’t forget to check out the top 10 reasons to become a freelancer too.

If you want to get more freelancing tips, subscribe to Freelance Amy. You’ll also get my ebook, Quick Guide to Freelancing, when you sign up.

And if you want to learn some time management tips or editing skills, check out my courses on Udemy and LearnDesk.

Reasons to Become a Freelancer: Top 10 List

2021-05-12

A young woman works on her laptop in a café and with a coffee on the table.

You may be aware of many reasons to become a freelancer in the virtual workplace. If you’re just starting out or wondering if you should, check out these top 10 reasons to join the crew.

Note #1: This post focuses on freelancers who work from a home office or coworking space.

Note #2: This post is the first part of a series. Stay tuned for the next part about the top 10 reasons not to become a freelancer in the virtual workplace.

1. Choose Your Own Schedule

As a freelancer, you get to decide when you work. That can be the traditional 9:00 to 5:00, or you can start at 11:00 a.m. and work until 7:00 p.m. Better yet, take a big break in the middle and work later.

Better still as one of your reasons to become a freelancer, you don’t even have to commit to 8 hours a day or work the same number of hours every day. As long as you set your rates well and pull in enough work, you can choose your hours as you see fit.

2. Plan Your Vacations Without Permission

A wing of a plane among clouds and setting sun

You can take a day, a week, or more off without asking someone else for permission to do so. As long as you schedule your projects strategically, take some time off as you like.

You can even fit a little bit of work in the middle of vacation if you can’t quite get a solid week off. Your clients don’t care as long as you get the work done.

3. Choose Your Clients

You can seek out clients you want to work with. And you don’t have to keep a client whose communication style, particular demands, or even spiritual aura do not jive with your own situation. Work until the end of the contract, but you don’t have to renew it or work with them again in the future.

4. Work from Anywhere

A laptop and sunglasses on a beach as one of the reasons to become a freelancer

You can work from home, from a local café or co-working space, or even on the beach in Bali. And, if all you really need is your laptop and an internet connection, make plans to travel more or move to a more desirable and/or affordable area.

If you live far from your family, visiting or even moving back to your home town or region may be one of your reasons to become a freelancer.

5. You Get a Very Short Commute

Most freelancers work from home or a space that is convenient. And that convenience usually involves a decent proximity to their bedroom.

I used to live in a studio apartment in downtown Oakland, California—my desk was right next to my bed, so I literally would just have to roll over and start working. Those were the days and one of my many reasons to become a freelancer!

6. You Get to Sleep as Late as You Want

An alarm clock displaying 6:00 is placed on a nighstand next to a bed.

Related to choosing your own schedule at #1, you can start to balance work with your natural sleep rhythms. According to Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, night owls seem to always get the shaft because the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 is more suited to morning larks.

One of the best reasons to become a freelancer is that you get to finally catch up on your sleep and work within your natural patterns for a much healthier lifestyle.

7. Choose Your Projects

Just like choosing your clients back in #3, you get to choose your projects as well. If something doesn’t seem like a good fit for your preferences, you can turn it down.

Besides, let a more suitable freelancer take the work, and make their day as one of their own reasons to become a freelancer.

8. You Can Set Up a Home Office That Suits You

A Macintosh computer monitor is placed on a home office desk with keyboard and mouse and a coffee as one of the reasons to become a freelancer.

Along with working from anywhere, you can also set up your office the way you like it. Of course, you have to pay for that equipment, but once you’re able, there’s no waiting on HR to approve the purchase.

Get that ergonomic mouse and keyboard or second 27-inch monitor. Sit on that exercise ball or even put your feet up on the desk.

9. You Can Get More Exercise

Working from anywhere on your own schedule can also mean that you have the freedom to go out for a run, walk, cycle, climb, or whatever workout you enjoy any time of day. I like to walk because running is not good for my knees (I wrote a little article about that).

For example, freelance editors like to go on what they call stet walks, wherein they get out to enjoy nature and tweet what they see for fellow editorial professionals. Follow #StetWalk to join the party.

10. You Can Get More Done in Both Personal and Work Life

A man in a suit smiles while juggling a laptop, alarm clock, dumbbell, house, money, cell phone, binder, and an apple.

Because of your ability to work from anywhere and your shortened commute mentioned in #4 and #5, you have more time to get both personal and work tasks done. You can start a laundry while you finish editing that video script, or make an elaborate cup of Turkish coffee.

You can even make a tuna melt for lunch without your coworkers groaning over the fish smell. And if your coworker is feline, I’m sure you’ll get appreciative purrs for sharing—definitely one of the more valid reasons to become a freelancer!

So there you have it. I hope these top 10 reasons to become a freelancer are helpful in your own virtual workplace. Stay tuned for the next part about reasons not to become a freelancer.

And if you want to get more freelancing tips, subscribe to Freelance Amy. You’ll also get my ebook, Quick Guide to Freelancing, for free when you sign up.

To learn some time management tips or editing skills, check out my courses on Udemy and LearnDesk.

[AR1]LI article

My First Real Job:
Getting Started in K–12 Education

2021-04-14

Photograph of Freelance Amy with her parents on college graduation day a few months before her first real job — My mom, me, and my dad on college graduation day

When I graduated college, bachelor of arts in foreign languages with a minor in art in hand, I was pretty proud of myself. Until I realized I had no idea what I was going to do next. As a first-generation college graduate, I was mostly just figuring it out for myself. My parents’ advice was pretty spot on, though: get your first real job.

But I was back home in rural upstate New York, where the degree I had didn’t get me a whole lot. The options included the summer jobs I’d done as a:

night-shift drive-thru cashier at Dunkin Donuts, where I got flashed by the pantsless pervert of Pulaski, New York; or
convenience store clerk selling lottery tickets and occasionally renting out porn from the box we stored at the back.

AmeriCorps: First Real Job?

So I applied to AmeriCorps for my first real job, sort of. I would maybe help fight forest fires in California or educate people on the environment in Colorado. And I didn’t get in.

Clearly, the search for my first real job was looking bleak. Furthermore, I was clueless about how to make this French degree work for me. I knew I didn’t want to live the rest of my adult life in upstate New York. However, I didn’t know how I was going to resolve that problem.

The Eiffel Tower taken from underneath and close up. — I took this photo on a recent trip to Paris.

But then I found out about the local AmeriCorps chapters. And it turned out a nearby high school was looking for a paraprofessional to help out in the high school special education department.

Moreover, they needed someone to shadow a student who had just moved with her family from France. That circumstance was pretty bizarre considering how isolated that little school was.

So, in the middle of nowhere, I was competing against people who very likely had no knowledge of French beyond “bonn-jore.” It was a no-brainer to bring me on. My French degree was already paying off!

First Day on the First Real Job

An open door to a school hallway to my first real job

I did get a stipend and I had to report to “work” during a particular set of hours every day. So the volunteer gig sure felt like my first real job. The day before the school year began, I attended a staff development day. That’s when I met the teachers I would be working with.

My supervisor, the senior special education teacher, needed assistance with his students who struggled with reading and writing. Understandably, my stint as an interpreter for my apparent first real job did not sit well with him. His concerns would not go unaddressed, as you’ll find out shortly.

The next day, I met the 15-year-old French student who did not speak a word of English. She was noticeably in full-on culture shock but seemed to be handling the situation as well as can be expected.

However, my supervisor soon managed to get me transferred back to the special education department. The French student, consequently, was assigned a peer to work with her, which was probably much more appropriate anyway.

Finally Getting Started as a Volunteer Paraprofessional

Classroom with empty desks and chairs the day of my first real job

He introduced me to the students as they arrived and explained what I would be doing in my first real job. My main responsibility was to support juniors and seniors (ages 16–18) by going to their classes, taking notes, and keeping track of assignments and exams.

When there was an exam, I made sure students were provided their appropriate and specific accommodations. Those accommodations or modifications included extra time, dictation, transcription, breaks, or an alternative testing environment.

Sometimes I felt like I was back in high school and not at my first real job. That wasn’t hard to imagine considering I was 22, going on 15 in the looks department. The custodians all thought I was a student anyway.

No Easy First Real Job

A chalkboard graphic shows a headless teacher with a question mark where her head should be.

You might have guessed this was no easy first real job. For sure, the senior teacher had far more responsibilities, but ensuring high school students, some of whom towered over me, stayed on track with their studies was a huge challenge for meek little Amy straight out of college.

Add to that the fact that these students had particular struggles that included not only dyslexia but also behavioral and emotional issues. Some of them came from low-income families, neglectful households, and a history of abuse.

These kids had not been handed an easy start in life. And this rural high school heavily depended on the AmeriCorps program’s annual litter of fresh new volunteers, some embarking on their first real job.

I spent 10 months with the students and learning about their struggles. Although I determined that working with high school students would not be my ultimate path, I gained an appreciation for the good work these teachers were doing to ensure all students had the opportunity to be included.

In fact, inclusion was the key word in this program. The goal was to provide access to the same information that all kids had access to. And that’s the hallmark of modern accessibility guidelines, which I talk about in my post about editing and writing with accessibility in mind.

20 Years Later

Indeed, my first real job opened up a passionate interest of mine that has only blossomed over the past two decades. Over the years, I have somehow always gravitated toward work that promotes equal opportunity to quality education.

In fact, most of my clients come from education. I regularly get to work on training materials for new teachers and coaches that address early childhood education in low-income communities, trauma-informed care, and children at risk for or with developmental delays.

Although that first real job happened more than 20 years ago now, I have always held a soft spot in my heart whenever I work on materials related to the special education field.

My Work These Days

As a copy editor and publication designer, I work with subject matter experts and project managers who are developing research studies, training manuals, online courses, web content, and books for publication that aim to improve the lives of all children.

You can see, in fact, samples of my relevant work in the field in my online portfolio. Check out especially:

the series of briefs on the California Early Math Initiative;
the coaching guide for the Dual Language Learner Supports Project; and
the series of video training guides for home visitors.

And my latest gig is editing online courses in French. So, you could say that, in a way, I have come full circle. I’m using my French degree to support an inclusive environment for all learners in the K–12 system, a system I first started in as my first real job.

If you enjoyed this post, please comment or share using one of the links below. And don’t forget to subscribe to Freelance Amy for updates on other posts, freelancing tips, a recipe each week, and free access to my ebook Quick Guide to Freelancing.

Finally, if you would like to brush up on your writing skills, check out my editing course on Udemy or get it as a bundle with my time management course on LearnDesk.