In this challenging economic climate, the ways in which people work are going through unprecedented changes. One trend which is becoming more popular is to work as a freelancer rather than as an employee.
Reasons To Go Freelance
There are many reasons why IT workers might go freelance. These can include wanting to avoid a long commute, spend more time with a young family, or the desire to escape a tyrannical boss. However, these are just a few of the many benefits that an IT professional will enjoy by becoming self-employed.
While many people believe that freelancing is financially insecure, and it certainly can be, current conditions are proving that even long-established businesses can fail. A “job for life” no longer exists, and as a freelancer you at least have control over the running of your business.
For IT professionals who already have an interest in marketing, self-promotion and keeping track of finances, becoming a freelance worker is an obvious step. Even if you do not yet possess those skills, a motivation to learn will serve you well.
Freelancing allows you to choose your own hours. With the exception of client meetings, which do tend to happen during typical business hours, you have the choice of working in the early hours if that is when you can concentrate best, or of working in the evening when your children have gone to bed. The rather artificial time frame of 9-5 will only be your work hours if they are what you choose.
When working as a freelance IT professional, you are also able to choose the areas in which you specialize. Whereas an employed worker has no say over which tasks are allocated to them, a freelancer can bid for those projects which they know they enjoy doing, and which they know they do well. Similarly, they can choose which clients they work with, and nurture and grow those relationships that are beneficial and enjoyable.
Higher Pay
Pay can be much better as a freelancer too, and the harder you work, the more you get paid. If you want to go on a dream vacation, you can increase the hours you work, increase the fees you charge, and work intensely. If, on the other hand, you have no pressing financial needs for a while, you can reduce your workload for a time, and allot more time to yourself.
Gone are the days of receiving the same wages into your bank every month, with no possibility of flexibility. This can be a frightening prospect at first, but once your business is established and your freelance experience has grown, it is actually a very empowering situation to be in.
As well as the obvious benefits of choosing your own hours, working in your pajamas and answering to nobody but yourself, freelancing can reinvigorate any IT professional’s career. The opportunities are out there for the taking, and if you want to break out of the employment rut, now is as good a time as any to take the leap into freelancing freedom.
About the author: This article was written in association with Modis. If freelancing isn’t for you, Modis has the largest selection of IT jobs in London and abroad.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Kosut.