what is your view on freelancing?

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aaronrey
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16 Dec 2007, 8:20 pm

no permanent employee, make your own schedule, decide who your client is. too good to be true?



brfandan
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16 Dec 2007, 8:34 pm

if you know what you're doing, it should be great! i plan on doing this as a side job while im at university. i am learning web design all this year, and i already have some clients, just family and friends, nothing serious, but its still good experience.

if you want to go into business on your own, make sure you learn everything you can about what you're doing, because you'll have nobody to help you or to pick up slack if you're actually on your own.



riverotter
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16 Dec 2007, 8:37 pm

You have to be very, very organized to freelance.
That is (one reason) why I am not a freelance writer, although I love the idea of setting my own hours and never getting dressed or leaving the house.



mikebw
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16 Dec 2007, 9:22 pm

I like the idea of freelancing, but I need a little more safety net, and I'm no good at selling myself or anything for that matter.



Silver_Meteor
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16 Dec 2007, 10:26 pm

Technically speaking, I am an independent contractor. In practice the person I am working for is my sole client. On the other hand, I probably have more freedom than a regular employee. But I might probably prefer being an independent contractor to an employee.

In many cases, I think this is a better job choice for Aspies than a regular employee because you can have multiple people to work for and not have to worry as much if you don't fit in with other coworkers.


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AspCat
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17 Dec 2007, 6:05 am

I am freelancing at the moment, after years of being a more traditional employee. I have enjoyed doing the work, but my present client is sort of iffy with money, getting funding, etc. That is the downside.

Also, if you are going to freelance effectively, you need to have a decent network of connections.



UncleBeer
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17 Dec 2007, 6:16 am

AspCat wrote:
Also, if you are going to freelance effectively, you need to have a decent network of connections.

An extremely important point, as 'networking' and Aspies don't really go together. :?



BlackMetalIstKrieg
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17 Dec 2007, 11:10 am

I freelance as a musician and it's pretty good. You just have to make sure that you get paid in cash, not checks, though, because then you'll have to fill out 1099 forms where you list EVERYTHING you make(if you're American) or other special tax nonsense depending on where you live.


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zee
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17 Dec 2007, 2:23 pm

UncleBeer is right; networking is a big part of freelancing. If your profession is in-demand, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
I'm a freelancer also, and I usually need to have a fall-back job to get by, or go through temp agencies. I often find it more stressful to find work than to actually do it.
I guess it depends on your profession... how much contact do you need with all your clients, and can you connect with other freelancers to form a tag team?



Katou
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19 Dec 2007, 9:19 pm

Back in my days as a computer/ATM technician (two years ago) I was a freelancer (independent contractor.) The perks about it is higher pay, and you have to micro-manage yourself. You've got to set schedules, prioritise what is important and to delay small repair jobs for priority (has to be done within 4 hours) service calls.


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CRACK
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19 Dec 2007, 9:33 pm

Any kind of freelance work would be incredibly intimidating to me, most likely. I need some general direction/guidance while on the job.



Bopkasen
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19 Dec 2007, 11:17 pm

riverotter wrote:
You have to be very, very organized to freelance.
That is (one reason) why I am not a freelance writer, although I love the idea of setting my own hours and never getting dressed or leaving the house.


What do you think you doing right now?

You are freelancing by posting thread on the forum.

It not hard and it way too easy to organize. :wink:



ascan
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20 Dec 2007, 3:36 pm

riverotter wrote:
You have to be very, very organized to freelance.
That is (one reason) why I am not a freelance writer, although I love the idea of setting my own hours and never getting dressed or leaving the house.

It depends on what sort of freelance work you do. I've limited experience of your profession, although I have been paid for articles I've written for specialist magazines (many years ago). I did other work in a media-related context, too, for many years as a freelance, and yes that did require a high-level of self-organisation. However, my main source of income at the time was from freelancing in a technical field, and at the basic level that required nothing that ordinary employment didn't. The best way to get started, IMO, is to first get a number of years experience as an employee working in the field you intend to target. Once you've enough experience to make a CV look good then you can start searching for work through an agency. I found this very easy, and hardly ever had to attend interviews. The notion of freelance work being insecure is something of a fallacy, as once you're established you get your fingers in lots of pies, as it were. If one source of income dries up, you capitalise on another. That's not so as an employee, as once you're sacked you're up s**t creek without the paddle.

The logical next step is to ditch the agency and work direct for clients. You then get what you were being paid, plus what the agency was taking as a cut. If you then supply all the equipment needed (assuming it's that kind of field), you get to stick margin onto the cost of that, increasing your profits further.