Why Did you Choose to be a Freelancer?

[williamtcooper]

Why did you choose to be a Freelancer and is it your full time job?

[1802b00d]

Hello,

Being a freelancer for me gives me more freedom in choosing what i want to work on, also it can be a great way to push my limits and improve my skills/experiences in other fields than i used to work on usually. First, I took the decision to work as a freelancer to make it as a part time job in addition to my personal main job. But who knows, for the future i m pretty sure i would consider it as my main job. 

[williamtcooper]

Hey Alaa, what new skills are you learning these days and why? Have a great day!

[mwiggenhorn]

I first started in 2001 and freelanced onsite for several law firms for 4 years, which was great because I was in charge of my elderly and unwell mother and had the freedom to take her to the doctor, etc.  She passed away in 2003 and Katrina dumped 3 feet of water in my office in 2005. I went back to working for law firms but my age was in the way.  After I lost my last job in 2011, I worked as a background actor in films and TV and started freelancing at the same time.  I love what I do (paralegal) and I love being able to pick and choose my clients.  No dragging heavy boxes to trial, no re-inventing the wheel (long story), no working endless hours with little sleep.  I am a happy elderly lady!

[williamtcooper]

Hey Mary, great to hear your story! I know about Katrina living in the Houston area especially Harvey. Some bad stuff. Have a Merry Christmas!

[6bfcdaf8]

After quiting a job, i just wanted to explore and see what others are doing, joined upwork, applied for a few jobs and never looked back since then!

Met amazing people from all around the world, completed many interesting projects, got tremendous amount of appreciation and positive feedback. It's unbelievable. I love the fact that i can apply my own methodologies and have more control over how i chose to work and can also find like minded people around me to work together. 

I've been a full time freelancer here on upwork for the last 2 years and looking to continue and grow my network of clients and freelancers

[williamtcooper]

Hey Alper, would you ever to back to work for a large company for the right price? Have a great day!

[6bfcdaf8]

I worked for a very large multi national corporation in the past. It was a great experience in many ways and i wouldnt be where i am without that experience.

Now that i have experienced freelancing and having direct access to clients with my own services i have to say i like it more.

I wouldn't want to be limited by my own past experiences and would like to be open to what future may bring, yet i'm more focusing on growing my own business at the moment

[bb5631d3]

I am facing probile with my project catalog. It's not approving

[williamtcooper]

Hey Prion, I had up to 3 retries sometimes on the Project Catalogs because from my perspective the instructions are vague. What are they stating to change? Thanks!

[9f395534]

Hello Prion T.

It use to take up to five working days or more for Upwork Approval.

If it required editing you be notified via your email or dashboard.

Stay came..

[41664717]

The most common reason for starting out as a freelancer or entrepreneur is the ability to be your own boss. No more working with control-freak management, no more being clocked in and out of the office, no more getting told off for being late—you are the master of your own ship, and that's a great way to feel.

[bb5631d3]

Yes perfectly said

[williamtcooper]

Hey Kum, do you find that as a Freelancer that some of the Clients act like a boss instead of a partner to accomplish a task? Merry Christmas!

[84798706]

I became a pwd so didn't have much choice but looking forward to it now

[williamtcooper]

Hey Nabeel, how do you like it so far? Thanks!

[84798706]

Hi William, can't complain. So far, so good.

[workerschoice24]

I love freedom like the way I work for my clients, and yes this is my only profession 😄

[williamtcooper]

Hey Shakawat, how long have you been a Freelancer? What do you enjoy the most? Have a great day!

[sarker_shoikot]

I like to move independently, that's why I became a freelancer. 9 to 5 office, no orders from the boss, no tension, I can work independently. I am my own boss.

[williamtcooper]

Hey Shoikot, do you find that now you have dozens of new bosses? Are they better to work with? Have an awesome day!

[sarker_shoikot]

Hi William, I have found some clients and It's a great experience working with them. 

[zani7]

I chose to become a freelancer because I wanted to have the freedom to pursue the projects that I was most passionate about.

Being a freelancer also allows me to have a flexible schedule, so I can plan my day around the tasks that I need to complete. Additionally, I enjoy the freedom of working remotely and being able to work from anywhere in the world.

[williamtcooper]

Hey Zain, have you done your Freelancing work while in other countries? Was that more difficult? Have a great day!

[9f395534]

Thanks for asking this question William T C

There are lots of benefits that come with working for yourself, I mean self reliance whether that's by starting your own business or taking on various projects freelancing has helped me achieve alot.

Below are my reasons and why I become a freelancer;

1. Flexibility: freelancing lets me choose my own work hours, as well as where I can work from USA, CANADA, PAKISTAN, & more..

2. Starting small: freelancing is something that allows me to start slowly - it doesn't need to mean a rapid shift overnight.

3. Selecting a projects; Freelancing allow me to take on clients I want to work with: let me to choosing who I work with and which projects I take on is a nice benefit to working independently.

4. Strong earning potential: when working for an organization, you will generally have a set salary, as Freelancer you can earn more than you could imagine.

5. Opportunity to grow & develop: freelancing offers the ability to grow and develop into new areas, it allows me to brush up my skills and learn new things time to time.

6. Independence: Freelancing lets me choose whether to take on short or long-term projects and to also be selective about the companies I work with.

So if you are seeking greater control over your career progression, trying to branch out into a new area, or planning a complete career change, it doesn't have to require years of study or a large financial investment to get started, the. go for Freelancing.

#Freelancing

:fire::rocket:

[williamtcooper]

Hi Hafeez, thanks for your answer! Do you get Client offers that you turn down?

[9f395534]

Yes, it has happened to me once in my entire freelancing career.

[williamtcooper]

I have been freelancing for 25 years and as time pasted there were more prospects that I turned down. Some prospects are just too expense to work with 🙂

[9f395534]

Wow! 25 years is a long time ago, this is my 5years of freelancing but in my 15+ years as a 4caps creative Designer, I don't take freelancing seriously then at first I would have gone far, this is my 2 years on Upwork. 

May I know what you offer, I mean skill?

[williamtcooper]

I have been doing Marketing and Sales Strategies for the past 25 years to help businesses grow their revenues. It's been very rewarding to assist so many business owners.

[williamtcooper]

How many of you are glad it's the Holidays and are taking a break or at least slowing down?

I am slowing it down, but still busy this week.

And you?

[9f395534]

As for me am  not taking a break neither slowing down, the remain days in years 2022 which is about 100hours and some mins is the best time to work on the 2023 goal and it executions plans.

[whathello]

I wanted to make a little extra money ontop of my current job.

[7839a906]

Hi William,

Am looking for financial freedom, working with my kids, having my own time, and definitely away from the silliness of the family business.

[williamtcooper]

Hey Maysaa, what type of family business? Happy New Year!

[7839a906]

Happy new year ,

•  Simple family businesses, and family businesses with joint management.

[bharat_raney]

I want to be independent.

[williamtcooper]

Hey Bharat, why was it important for you to become independent? Have a Happy New Year!

[41ef394f]

Hi there,

In my case, I'll just start with a little bit of background: I'm a Computer Engineer that has worked on multiple fields: full-stack development, computer security, systems engineering, low-level software for embedded hardware and finally, my current area of interest, which is quantitative trading systems. This last one is, in my opinion, the most skill-demanding area I've ever participated in. It's really competitive and requires a lot of field knowledge, proficiency in multiple areas, lots of care to detail when developing and the amount of work required to ship an actual competitive product is just crazy.

I've also contributed a good amount of time to Open Source Software (OSS) in the past as a hobby, and pretend to keep doing so in my spare time once I get established as a freelancer here.

Coming back to the present time: just started last month here on Upwork. My three main reasons are:

• I can definitely get paid better than pretty much any other engineering positions here in Spain. It's just disheartening to see that most of my colleagues are not able to obtain salaries that, even in the best scenarios, reach +30k€/year for a 40hr/wk job. Freelancing goes different. It starts low until you start getting it to the top and build yourself a successful track record.
• We all agree on this one, I think - Flexibility and freedom. The fact that I could work at anytime, from anywhere, it's just preferrable to being tethered to a spot working through an immutable and constrained schedule. This is also what I like the most about OSS, the ability to choose when to contribute, and doing my best when I feel at my best.
• Although I have a lot of technical experience as an engineer, I'm still pretty much a newbie in regard to communicating with clients and managing scopes and milestones just by myself. This is an essencial skill as a professional that is harder to obtain while at a company, and I'm putting my best efforts to work on this and improve.

What do you think about this? I want to know other peoples' opinions, especially from those that have a similar profile to mine but could also be considered senior at freelancing. Why did you decide to go freelance?

[williamtcooper]

Hey Oscar, you absolutely can earn more than $100,000 a year as a Freelancer on Upwork for less than 40 hours a week of work. Glad to see you on the community. Happy New Year!

[41ef394f]

I hope so! Can't say it will be easy, but I definitely have to try!. Thanks for your welcoming words, and Happy New Year to you as well!