As a freelancer you control your lifeIs it easy to work as a freelancer or difficult? I contemplate this as a writer, columnist, researcher or rather, a content writer. Why do I not work in a company? As a matter of fact, I had a "nice" job some time back as a tea planter. Doing a job, going to an office and working under bloated head office high-ups gives me the creeps. Life becomes an inexorable litany of schedules and routines. There are lots of "gives" and very few "takes". You are always working for the organization like a zombie. You always need to be an asset; constantly pushing yourself to the limits so that you company can earn profits whereas your own efforts do not commensurate with the compensation. On the other hand, as a freelancer you control your life. Yes, you are not assigned a project -- you have to find it, you have to convince the client to give it to you. No big name is there to render you credibility. All you have at hand are your experience, your portfolio and above all, your communication skills. Freelancing has its challenges, has its drawbacks, its pitfalls, but it also has rewards that you cannot get anywhere. You have to be self-disciplined. It's very difficult to wade through the household distractions and focus on your work. You need to convince your family that the bread and butter depend on this. Friends and relatives think you don't work. They can visit you; they can call you any time they like. They cannot imagine in their wildest dreams that you might too have a busy schedule. Despite all these roadblocks, more and more people are opting for working on their own. They want to control their lives. They don't just want to spend their lives, they want to live their lives and this is a motivating force for me. Since you have just one life why waste it for someone else? There is so much more you can do if you do not have to dance on someone's cacophonic tunes. I know many people who have left their so-called "cushioned jobs" and have tried to get connected with their real self. Money and high-profile job is not everything in life. Life lives in its own nuances and you have to live near the ground, near the soil to be able to revere it. I cannot ever imagine myself sitting in a cubicle, far away from home, slogging over a presentation, some writing assignment, occasionally greeted by the cloying smiles of my colleagues. I prefer my cluttered room where all the doors are open and all sorts of smells waft in the air. I can hear the sounds of birds, dogs and the occasional mooing of a stray cow. If I don't want to work on a particular day, I can always do more work on the previous day or the next day. There is no clock scrutinizing my every morning move. Another factor I value a lot is my rapport with my clients. There are very few clients who are not in touch with me after having had happily paid me for a job well done. They know I'm not working for a company -- I can either work for my own interest, or for their interest. They know that if I don't work, I'm the one who loses along with them, not my organization. So it's easier for them to believe that I'll give my best. Because of this my client believes I'm leaving no stones unturned and I believe after the assignment I'll be more competent for my next assignment. My increasing experience helps me gradually hike up my price. So I not only control my work environment, I also control how much I can earn every month. The road to freelancing is replete with obstacles, but the rewards that await you are exceptional too. You have to work hard, no doubt. Lots of networking, lots of learning, de-learning and re-learning, immense ability to persevere, long hours of isolation sometimes, lack of resources, infrastructure and tools, overwhelming distractions and mood-swings, they are all a part-and-parcel of a freelancers life. Once you get over these blocks, you won't give it up for any other job in the world.
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Resource BoxBilly I Ahmed, is a Columnist and Researcher, writing for leading English Dailies and Journal in Bangladesh as well as overseas online newsletter. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, in print or electronic media without written permission of the author. For reproducing or reprint, please contact the author by e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it You may also visit my web site: http://www.writesight.com/writers/Billy
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