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| Online Freelance Work |
All jobs have their own advantages and disadvantages. Online freelance work is no exception. Yes, you get to be your own boss and basically work just about anywhere. However you have to look for your own HMO, take care of your taxes and social security payments, and you have no job security. I have been working as a full-time online freelancer for the past seven months and although it does not seem that long compared to people I know, the experience has been quite an eye-opener for me. I decided to write about the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing before people take a leap of faith and enter the world of online freelancing. I hope that this article will serve as an eye-opener as well for people who want to get away from the corporate world and try their luck as an online freelance worker.
Advantages
One of the biggest advantage of freelancing is that you are your own boss. No one will look over your shoulder while working, you work at your own time, and you take your break anytime you want to. The only semblance of a supervisor is the client whom you work for, but if you find a client who is more concerned about your output rather than how you work, then you have it made (that is if you produce something that is up or not beyond the standards of your client). This is one of the advantages that encouraged me to enter the world of online freelancing.
Another advantage of online freelancing is the fact that you can work just about anywhere you want. I normally work at a coffee shop that has a good Wi-Fi connection although I also work at home. Working in a coffee shop will require you to pay for your coffee but you can stay at the coffee for as long as you want. I work in a coffee shop since I still get to work with some people around and I think some of them also do online freelance work. I normally stay in a coffee shop for three to four hours and one large cup of mocha latte is good enough for me to take away the feeling of being alone while working. In fact, the coffee shop where I do my online freelance work already know me by name and what I usually order. I also know some people who are actually travelling while working as an online freelancer. Talk about mixing business with pleasure. However, most online freelancers normally work at home to reduce their expenses.
Online freelancing also allow you to decide what time you want to take a break from working. Since most of my work is output-based, I can work at any time I want to. Although some online jobs that require you to log-in while working, you can simply log-off if you want to take a break.
You have a wide selection of freelance jobs to choose from on the net and all you have to do is to select the one that you are comfortable with. This is another advantage in online freelance work, you can choose which job to apply for. There are actually a number of online job sites that look for writers, virtual assistants, graphic designers, web designers and the like. For me, the best online freelance job site is oDesk simply because I find the site user-friendly and I got my first online freelance job in this site.
Working online also allows you to earn good money, that is if you have enough experience for that job that you choose to apply for. There are a number of online freelance workers who earn more than a bank manager, some even earn more than the CEO of a small company. Short-term projects may allow you to earn more since the earlier you finish each job, the more jobs you can apply for. Long-term projects may not offer a huge amount but it does allow you to demonstrate your loyalty to your client, who may recommend you to people they know once the contract ends.
Online freelance work also does away with office politics. No more back-stabbers, gossipers, or people who basically suck up to the boss. You do not have to deal with people you love to hate.
Disadvantages
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| NonProfessional Blogger |
Ironically, one of the biggest disadvantages of online freelance work is actually the biggest advantage of working as an online freelancer, you are your own boss. Since no one is looking over your shoulder all the time, you have to learn to motivate yourself. You have to make sure that you stay disciplined and free yourself from any distraction while working. You also have to take care of paying your own taxes and social security as well as find a good HMO to take care of your medical expenses if you get sick. You also have to market yourself to your potential clients in order to get the job that you want. This makes it important to have a good online portfolio. If you are a writer, creating a blog is a good way to show off your writing style and skills to potential. You have to work hard in order to land a job online.
Online freelance work requires you to manage your time well. If you do not know how to manage your time well, you might not finish a project on time. This is a pitfall of a number of new online freelance workers. The thought of working at their own time may have resulted to more rest than work.
Another disadvantage of online freelance work for people living outside the US is a strong local currency. When I initially started out as a part-time online freelance worker, the dollar exchange rate was around P48 to $1. When I checked the exchange rate recently it was down to around P39 to $1. The strong currency in the Philippines is disadvantageous to online freelance workers since we are paid in dollars. Each time the Philippine peso strengthens, the buying power of an online freelance worker goes down.
Newcomers to the online freelance industry will not find it easy to land jobs. I learned this when I started to work part-time as an online freelance worker around three years ago. It took me a forty applications before I landed my first job. However, my client was great, in fact he was quite satisfied with my work that he gave a good feedback for the job that I did for him.
The last but definitely not the least disadvantage in online freelance work is the lack of job security. Since online jobs are mainly contractual, you do not have the benefit of job security. Clients may end a contract anytime. Unlike office work where you become a regular employee after six months of continuous work, online freelance workers may work for years yet they may are not considered as regular employees of their clients.
Although there may be a number of advantages and disadvantages of online freelance work, these are just some that may give people who are taking the industry into consideration to think about. In the end, you will decide whether or not being an online freelance worker is a good career choice for you. I hope that you will think about these advantages and disadvantages before you take a leap of faith and become an online freelance worker.
