Why Freelance?

As few as ten years ago, freelancers were those rare few who strayed from the 9-5 life to make a living working from home. We watched them from our office windows as they strolled by wearing jeans while we were clad in suits and ties. While we were trapped inside eating lunch at our desks on those nice spring days, freelancers were enjoying a long casual meal at an outdoor cafe. We assumed they struggled to find work, but we still envied them. They seemed so free. They were living their lives, while we were stuck inside office buildings working for bosses we couldn't stand just so we could live paycheck to paycheck. Fast-forward to today, and everything has changed. Now, lots of us are freelancing. Why? Freelance employment is the future.

Why freelance? Not one single person on the corporate ladder has job security.

Whether you've been with the company twenty years or you just started, your job could be gone tomorrow. Corporate downsizing and budget cuts wipe out entire departments of skilled experienced employees every day, because it's cheaper for a company to outsource the work than it is to keep a dedicated staff of on-site employees. For companies, on-site employees cost more than their salaries. Companies pay a portion of employee social security taxes, health insurance costs, as well as overhead expenses like office space, equipment and supplies. Why should a company pay all this extra money when they could get the job done by an outsourced worker and only pay a per project rate as needed?

Technology has made outsourcing an obvious choice for companies.

Communication by phone and email is quick and efficient. There's no longer a need to have staff members idle and waiting on hand for their next assignment on the company's dime. They can outsource the job to a freelancer who will only charge them for the completed assignment -- no employer tax contributions, no health insurance costs, no overhead. As more and more companies learn about the benefits of outsourcing, more and more employees will find themselves out of a job. Now is the time to begin a freelance career.

Why freelance now? Why not wait until that dreaded day comes?

There are plenty of freelance jobs you can do in your spare time, even while you're still with your present employer. You can work during lunch breaks or in the evenings, on weekends or even during your slow times at the office. It's wise to build a freelance career while you're still working, because it can take months to find enough steady freelance work to replace your current income. Although it can take some time to build a successful freelance career, there are many reasons why freelance employment is actually a lot more enjoyable and beneficial than staying at that old day job. As a freelancer, you can take on as much or as little work as you want, and because you can take on multiple jobs at the same time, you're apt to make even more money than you did as a salaried employee. At your day job, you might get a small raise once a year for being an efficient worker, but as a freelancer, your efficiency will pay off instantly. The pay rate for freelancers is generally at least double that of an on-site employee, and the better you are at what you do, the more work you'll be able to take on. Most freelancers say that within a year of quitting their day jobs they're earning at least twice the annual income they made as an on-site employee, all with the added comfort of working from home and choosing the jobs they want.

Rather than ask "Why freelance?" the better question would be "Why NOT freelance?" You've got everything to gain.

Go Freelance can connect you with freelance jobs across virtually any industry, including freelance writing, freelance editing, freelance proofreading, freelance graphic design, freelance web design, freelance programming, virtual assistant work, and much more.