From Elite Daily, Molly Falco offers five great reasons that freelancing is a smart career move. My favorite are one and five. Molly writes:
1. You get to work the way you work the best.
While they may be out there, I think I would struggle to find a job in which the workday started at 11 am, and where lunch time consisted of a two-hour walk to explore the neighborhood.
I know what you’re all thinking: “Sleeping in? Sign me up for some of that.”
Yeah, catching some extra Zs is great, but it’s about so much more than that. Working when I’m rested, awake and inspired increases my productivity tenfold. I don’t have to feel guilty about sitting around and reading random websites for three hours in the morning before inspiration kicks in.
When I start feeling the afternoon sleepies, I take a long walk and draw inspiration for my work from sights, people and the world, instead of drudging through my emails while slowly hating my life more and more. Yeah, taking breaks and starting late means I also work late to get enough hours in my day. But, it’s how I work best.
For some people, the way they work best could mean starting at 7 am, grinding hard until 1 pm and taking the rest of the day off. For others, it might mean hunkering down at midnight and working until sunrise. If that’s how you produce the best work, go for it. That freedom is priceless.
5. You learn to own your skills and accomplishments.
Trying to convince strangers on the Internet to hire you and give you money is not the easiest thing in the world. In fact, for me, it’s one of the hardest. There is nothing scarier than calling up some random dude from LinkedIn and telling him, “Hi there. You don’t know me, and you’ve never seen my work. But, I’d like you to let me run your company’s social media accounts.”
The process becomes a lot easier if you’re really comfortable with telling people how great you are. I’m pretty sure this doesn’t come naturally to anyone (except maybe politicians gunning for presidential candidacies).Eventually, you get into the groove of it. Listing your achievements starts feeling less like you’re bragging and more like you’re just selling a product. Coming to terms with how great you are really pays off in a number of ways, from networking events to dreaded family Christmas parties.
Being a freelancer can be stressful, but it will serve your career well in the long run.
Read the full story at 5 Reasons Freelancing Is Actually A Smart Way To Get Ahead In Your Career
