I was a “K through J.D.,” meaning I was a student from kindergarten straight through law school. I then worked as a lawyer for nearly 4 years. My most recent position involved relentless Zoom meetings and traveling to court at least 3 times per week with little time in between. I was burning out quickly. I didn’t feel like I was making a difference.
I held stress in my body and lost joy in people and activities outside of work. And I didn’t get to do much of the one thing I always loved most: writing. My employer asked me to apply for a more permanent role that would require me to take on twice the cases I already had, so I had a decision to make.
As I looked around at my colleagues, I realized the lives they had wouldn’t be right for me. As I looked around at lawyers I knew outside of work, I realized very few of them were happy with their careers. So I began researching what else I could do with my law degree. I had done some copy and content writing before, and I loved it. As I learned more about freelancing, I began to imagine a freer, more flexible, and more creative life for myself.
I prepared my writing samples and application materials and began comparing freelancing platforms. I decided on Upwork and am excited to say I quit my law job 2 months ago, spent nearly 1 month traveling, and am now 3 weeks into working with my first Upwork client.
I am still establishing myself as a freelance, copy, content, and legal writer on Upwork, but I wake up every day excited to see what new projects clients have posted and what messages members of the Upwork community have to share. Thank you, Upwork!
When did you pivot to freelancing?
