Aren’t you tired? (Or Why you should become a freelancer)
I always struggled to articulate my deep despise for corporate jobs.
You see, I have never worked for someone else. Not even a day in my life. So I kept questioning myself. ‘What do you know’. ‘It’s just a different career path’. ‘It has pros and cons’. ‘Maybe it’s not that bad’.
Today, I call BS on myself for even thinking that.
Today, I explain to you why you should become a freelancer. Not sooner or later. Not once the children leave the nest. Not once you have accumulated enough to leave your job. But now.
Aren’t you tired?
They say it takes courage to start freelancing. To give up on health insurance, 401k matches, paid time off.
I say it takes courage to stay in your current job. A job that makes you miserable day after day, that doesn’t compensate you nearly enough, that forces you to stay away from your beloved ones for most of your day in your best years, that leaves you with 15 days a year to do what you actually like, and keeps you a slave for the rest of the time.
Aren’t you tired of unpaid commuting, endless calls and ungrateful bosses?
I understand businesses. Really. People had to go to work.
Keyword that is ‘had’.
In 2023 and beyond, though, being physically present work is no longer necessary. You can do the same job from the comfort of your home without sacrificing 2 hours per day commuting, stuck in traffic or worse. 2021 simply proved that. We all worked from home, and business didn’t stop. Society didn’t collaps. They still made money off people’s work. Everyone seemed happier.
But your boss couldn’t micro manage you. Tell you what to wear. Check that you were actually paying attention to those pointless calls. Force you to the Christmas party.
Good news for them – the pandemic is over, and now they want you back.
Aren’t you tired of working your ass out and still struggle to make ends meet?
In 1965, CEOs were paid 21 times as much as a typical worker. In 2022, that pay gap has risen to a staggering 344:1.
If you are still wondering where all your money is going, data has an answer for you.
It’s in your CEO’s pockets.
Aren’t you tired of spending most of your day away from your children?
75% of the time we spend with our kids in our lifetime will be spent by age 12. 90% is gone by the time they are 18.
90%.
The clock is ticking, and you are here debating whether or not you should freelance. Work from home. Set your own hours. Take your own days off. Put your children first and your boss second.
If you are a parent, I have a question for you. How do you do that?
How do you go to work every morning and leave your children at day care so that someone else does the parenting while you are slaving away your life?
Aren’t you tired of seeing the world through your Instagram feed?
Let that sink in for a second:
An average human being only has 4,000 weeks.
If you just turned 30 and you expect to retire at 66, like most of the people still working in the U.S. today, you have 1872 weeks left before you are finally free.
If you want to see the world before you turn 66 and your body starts to lose strength, you have to count on your paid vacation weeks. How many of them do you have?
108.
The better way – or why you should become a freelancer
I am not here to tell you that freelancing is the solution to all evils.
I am not here to tell you that it’s easy.
I am here to tell you that if you are looking for a way to get out of the rat race, to gain back your time and your freedom, to live a better life, freelancing IS the solution.
But don’t trust me. I am just a random guy on the Internet. Trust those who already took the leap.
“A 51% majority of freelancers say no amount of money would entice them to definitely take a traditional job.”
Freelancing gives you back your time
Will you work less when you start your freelance business? NO. Actually, chances are you will work more.
And if you choose to keep your current job and start freelancing as a side hustle (as you should, BTW), then for a few months you will work a f*ckton of hours.
Don’t be scared, though – there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Build a successful freelance business, and you’ll be in charge of how many hours per week you want to work. I know many freelancers who work 3- to 5-hour-days and that is enough for them to maintain a cozy lifestile, even in high cost of living areas.
I am one of them, actually. Right now (end of 2023) I make $60,000 per year working 15 hours a week as a freelance translator.
Yeah, but you are BSing them, you work 10 more hours per day to build this website cause you are a workaholic
Freelancing gives you back your freedom
It’s true – I spend 5 to 10 hours every day to build this website. I often dedicate it a few hours on Saturdays as well. Do you know why I do that?
Because I can.
Freelancing give me total flexibility. I can work till 3AM, wake up at 10AM, answer my emails and then work after lunch.
On some days, my freelance plate is full and I can’t spend a single moment on the website. Other days, I have nothing to translate and I can pull a 12-hour content writing marathon.
When my partner has a day off, we usually plan the day together, and I do my freelance work before dinner or while she’s running errands.
No other job can give you as much freedom as freelancing.
Freelancing pays very well (when it’s done right)
1 in 3 freelancers say they make $75,000+ per year
Freelancing pays well (especially some freelance jobs). Contrarily to what naysayers suggest, well enough to easily pay yourself your days off, health insurance and retirement funds, and still come out with more than you’d make in a salaried position.
But… there’s a caveat.
To make money as a freelancer, you can’t be average at what you do. You have to be good at it. Great, if possible.
And that’s not even enough.
You need to know how to get clients. How to keep than happy so that they come back. How to handle a business as a solopreneur.
Being a freelancer is not a walk in the park or a get rich quick scheme.
But if you are good at it, I truly believe there is no better career path.
Are you ready?
For any time you thought of escaping the rat race. For any time you searched ‘How to make money online’. For any time you wondered why you should become a freelancer.
There you have your answer.
Change your life. Start freelancing.
