Often, working full-time in an office-bound job can be less lucrative and even a hindrance to having a career. It is rare for someone to have a fulfilling personal and professional life, especially once one has a family. There is always the struggle to balance personal and professional life. In an ideal world, freelancing gives a person an out in the form of flexibility, work from anywhere structure and options to choose projects and clients. However, like any organised structure, freelancing also has its challenges and it is important to approach a full-time freelance career with a pragmatic outlook.

The modern-day freelancer

Freelancers have a host of benefits as they are aided largely by technology to create a complete setup. There are apps one can use for book-keeping, invoicing, online communication and even saving and carrying their work on the cloud. As per a report by Wingspan, 68% of freelancers feel their life has improved since they started freelancing. Many jobs can now be performed remotely and are cost-effective and advantageous for clients too. For roles that have a limited period of engagement, temp staffing, and project-based assignments, it has become easier and faster for companies to hire freelancers in India through the freelance model. 

The drawbacks

Starting freelancing is just like starting one’s business from scratch is fraught with similar challenges of finding paying projects, building a reputation and being constantly alert to attracting new projects. Furthermore, one oversees the administration and reporting too. This requires time management skills, marketing skills, sales skills, and communication skills, irrespective of which field one is working in. While there are many projects, it will take time to get the price one wants and the variety of projects one would like to pursue. Also, though there is time flexibility, one must be mindful of clients’ needs and give them attention whenever they need it. 

Working a full-time job while freelancing

Most companies do not have a clause against a person working for themselves in their own time. Hence, if you are planning to quit your full-time job, it may be wise to start freelancing on the side and once you have a foothold in the field quit your full-time job. A full-time job comes with perks like insurance, fixed income and job security that freelance jobs cannot offer. So, after doing a cost-benefit analysis, and ensuring that one has a steady workflow, they should go ahead and start freelancing full-time. 

In freelance jobs, you are getting paid as long as you are working. All vacation days are unpaid vacation days. So, it is important to be fully engrossed in one’s career to get a steady workflow. However, there is no dearth of work and once one has found effective channels to find clients and projects, one can start right where they left off even after a sabbatical.