Logo

Navigation
  • Home
  • Services
    • ERP Solutions
    • Implementation Solutions
    • Support and Maintenance Solutions
    • Custom Solutions
    • Upgrade Solutions
    • Training and Mentoring
    • Web Solutions
    • Production Support
    • Architecture Designing
    • Independent Validation and Testing Services
    • Infrastructure Management
  • Expertise
    • Microsoft Development Expertise
    • Mobile Development
    • SQL Server Database and BI
    • SAP BI, SAP Hana, SAP BO
    • Oracle and BI
    • Oracle RAC
  • Technical Training
    • Learn Data Management
      • Business Intelligence
      • Data Mining
      • Data Modeling
      • Data Warehousing
      • Disaster Recovery
    • Learn Concepts
      • Application Development
      • Client Server
      • Cloud Computing Tutorials
      • Cluster Computing
      • CRM Tutorial
      • EDI Tutorials
      • ERP Tutorials
      • NLP
      • OOPS
      • Concepts
      • SOA Tutorial
      • Supply Chain
      • Technology Trends
      • UML
      • Virtualization
      • Web 2.0
    • Learn Java
      • JavaScript Tutorial
      • JSP Tutorials
      • J2EE
    • Learn Microsoft
      • MSAS
      • ASP.NET
      • ASP.NET 2.0
      • C Sharp
      • MS Project Training
      • Silverlight
      • SQL Server 2005
      • VB.NET 2005
    • Learn Networking
      • Networking
      • Wireless
    • Learn Oracle
      • Oracle 10g
      • PL/SQL
      • Oracle 11g Tutorials
      • Oracle 9i
      • Oracle Apps
    • Learn Programming
      • Ajax Tutorial
      • C Language
      • C++ Tutorials
      • CSS Tutorial
      • CSS3 Tutorial
      • JavaScript Tutorial
      • jQuery Tutorial
      • MainFrame
      • PHP Tutorial
      • VBScript Tutorial
      • XML Tutorial
    • Learn Software Testing
      • Software Testing Types
      • SQA
      • Testing
  • Career Training
    • Career Improvement
      • Career Articles
      • Certification Articles
      • Conflict Management
      • Core Skills
      • Decision Making
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Goal Setting
      • Life Skills
      • Performance Development
      • Personal Excellence
      • Personality Development
      • Problem Solving
      • Relationship Management
      • Self Confidence
      • Self Supervision
      • Social Networking
      • Strategic Planning
      • Time Management
    • Education Help
      • Career Tracks
      • Essay Writing
      • Internship Tips
      • Online Education
      • Scholarships
      • Student Loans
    • Managerial Skills
      • Business Communication
      • Business Networking
      • Facilitator Skills
      • Managing Change
      • Marketing Management
      • Meeting Management
      • Process Management
      • Project Management
      • Project Management Life Cycle
      • Project Management Process
      • Project Risk Management
      • Relationship Management
      • Task Management
      • Team Building
      • Virtual Team Management
    • Essential Life Skills
      • Anger Management
      • Anxiety Management
      • Attitude Development
      • Coaching and Mentoring
      • Emotional Intelligence
      • Stress Management
      • Positive Thinking
    • Communication Skills
      • Conversation Skills
      • Cross Culture Competence
      • English Vocabulary
      • Listening Skills
      • Public Speaking Skills
      • Questioning Skills
    • Soft Skills
      • Assertive Skills
      • Influence Skills
      • Leadership Skills
      • Memory Skills
      • People Skills
      • Presentation Skills
    • Finding a Job
      • Etiquette Tips
      • Group Discussions
      • HR Interviews
      • Interview Notes
      • Job Search Tips
      • Resume Tips
      • Sample Resumes
 

Do You Really Want To Freelance?

By Exforsys | on February 9, 2006 |
Career Articles

Do You Really Want To Freelance?

So many writers or those with journalism or English degrees decide that they want to work for themselves or as independent contractors for other people. Freelancing is a good idea in theory to most people, but it’s not as simple as it all seems. Freelancing provides many people with a source of pride and independence that they crave, but other people find that they feel lonely and overwhelmed and just can’t keep up.

Freelancing is work just like everything else, but when you aren’t working under the supervision of other people it can be very difficult to stay on task and actually make the money you need to support yourself and your lifestyle.

Writers by nature are usually quite independent because you don’t need anyone else to write, you just need an idea and a computer that will allow you to write. For those that don’t care about technology, you don’t even need a computer but most writers have computers these days! Because writing doesn’t actually require anyone else to get the job done, many people just out of school or those that have established careers decide that they don’t want to work for anyone else and they’d rather freelance. The thought process is logical, yet there is more to freelancing than meets the eye.

First, you’ll need to consider whether or not you have the motivation to freelance. It’s not always fun to get up every day and go to work, but when you have a boss and a paycheck you have a lot more incentive to get out of bed because you’ll lose your job if you do not report to work when you are scheduled to do so. When you are employed by someone else you don’t want to let them down and your ability to pay the bills requires that they are happy with your work. When you freelance, often times you will not actually come face to face with clients and you may never even talk to them on the telephone. Because you do not have anyone overseeing your work when you freelance, it’s easy to blow off your work with intentions of getting to it tomorrow. If you don’t have the motivation to drive yourself to do the work, freelancing may not be for you. If you cannot set deadlines and keep them without other people checking in with you, you might want to keep working for someone else and do freelance work on the side to test your ability to meet deadlines.

The second thing you’ll need to consider is cliental. Will you have work when you first start freelancing? Do you already have clients that you know will follow you even if you start working on your own as an independent contractor? If you don’t already have clients, how will you find them? Will you network with people you already know in the business or will you advertise your services and attempt to establish your cliental on your own. The trouble with freelancing is there usually isn’t the same amount of work all the time, sometimes you’ll be swamped with work and other times you’ll not have enough work to keep you occupied. When freelancing you need to find ways to be sure that you’ll have enough work throughout the year to continue to pay your bills and do the things you need and want to do. You’ll also need to learn how to budget your income so that when work does slow down, and it will, you’ll be able to afford to live.

The third thing you’ll need to consider is where you will work. Most writers that freelance do so from home and this can be a good thing and a bad thing. When you just have to go into the next room to work, it’s convenient because you don’t have to get dressed and you don’t have to fight through traffic to get there. But, not having to go to work also has it’s negative considerations because it’s easy to let your workspace become cluttered which will negatively impact your work. You might also decide to just not work as often as you need to, and as we’ve established, that’s not a good thing! If you think you want to work at home when you freelance you’ll want to be sure that you have an area of your home that you can dedicate to your work so that you have a place to go so that you can get in a business frame of mind.

You’ll also need to consider taxes if you are going to freelance. Many people don’t realize it, but people who freelance (in any profession) and are considered independent contractors who have to file taxes quarterly instead of once a year in April.

Uncle Sam doesn’t want to have to wait for his money from those that don’t have taxes taken out of their pay by an employer, so you must prepay your taxes every couple of months. You’ll also need to decide if you’ll file your taxes as an individual or a business, which can impact how much you’ll pay and certain deductions you may be able to take advantage of. Taxes cause a lot of stress for some freelancers, so be sure to consider this and get started the right way when you decide to take the leap into freelancing.

Freelancing is hard work, but it can also be very rewarding work if you have the motivation and the knowledge to do it professionally. If you think you want to try freelancing, you should really think about it, and consider the pros and cons involved. Freelancing is work, but if you know you have the motivation, it can be a career that you can be very proud of!

« « Increase Your Earning Potential With Distance Learning
What Employers Are Looking For During The Interview Process » »

Author Description

Avatar

Editorial Team at Exforsys is a team of IT Consulting and Training team led by Chandra Vennapoosa.

Free Training

RSSSubscribe 403 Followers
  • Popular
  • Recent
  • Approaching Prospective Employers With Confidence

    February 2, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • You Have Your Psychology Degree, Now What?

    February 11, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • How to survive the technological trend to offshore outsourcing

    June 6, 2005 - 0 Comment
  • How To Reach The Top Of Your Career

    November 13, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Break Out Of The Rookie Mold

    February 3, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Breaking Into The Entertainment Industry With Your Degree

    February 22, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Technical Writing: It might just be the foot in the door you need

    June 6, 2005 - 0 Comment
  • How To Successfully Change Your Career

    November 12, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Breaking Into Your Field Of Interest With Education And No Experience

    February 3, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Why On Earth Would You Go Into Retail With A Business Degree?

    February 26, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • How To Earn More Money With Your Career

    November 13, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • How To Reach The Top Of Your Career

    November 13, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • How To Successfully Change Your Career

    November 12, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • How You Can Deal With A Difficult Boss

    November 10, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • The Importance of Career Counselors

    September 6, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Does a Higher Education Mean Higher Pay?

    April 25, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Bachelor of Science Career Possibilities

    April 25, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Career Opportunities With a Bachelor of Arts Degree

    April 25, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Career Strategies for Women

    April 14, 2006 - 0 Comment
  • Get Your Foot In The Door With A Great Cover Letter

    April 13, 2006 - 0 Comment

Exforsys e-Newsletter

ebook
 

Related Articles

  • How To Earn More Money With Your Career
  • How To Reach The Top Of Your Career
  • How To Successfully Change Your Career
  • How You Can Deal With A Difficult Boss
  • The Importance of Career Counselors

Latest Articles

  • Project Management Techniques
  • Product Development Best Practices
  • Importance of Quality Data Management
  • How to Maximize Quality Assurance
  • Utilizing Effective Quality Assurance Strategies
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Trademark Information
  • Contact Us
© 2022. All Rights Reserved.IT Training and Consulting
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Necessary Always Enabled