If you are considering making the leap into freelancing from full-time work, we thought you might like to know how freelancers feel about making that decision:
- Did they get what they expected? A plurality of freelancers made the change from permanent employment to gain flexibility and freedom in their daily lives and that flexibility is one of the top three factors making them happy.
- Are they optimistic? A majority of freelancers expect their job satisfaction to grow over the next year.
- Would they go back? The longer people work as freelancers, the less likely they are to change their minds and go back to a permanent job.
- Are they making enough money? Most freelancers expect to make more money in 2013 than they did in 2012.
Clearly, freelancing can bring many rewards, but can also be a source of anxiety, especially if security and predictability are important to your happiness. You may not know what you will be doing from month to month or exactly what your income will be. But if you are willing to risk some uncertainty to gain the ability to pursue your goals both inside and outside of work—whether they be family, education, service to your community, or something else—your personal satisfaction can overcome short-term worry.
There are definitely pros and cons to freelancing and freelancing isn’t for everyone. But for some, it is a choice that can feed your creativity while allowing you to achieve both work and personal success.
Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative.