Ruchi Verma
Freelancers- As soon as we hear that someone is doing a freelancing job or freelancing work, normally people start assuming “Oh!! he/she is just sitting at home and doing their choice of work”, “It’s great you are, your own boss”, “freelancer!! oh they don’t have much to do, they sit in their comfort zone and work as per their mood” and so on and on!!
Hold ON !!! Freelancers are not FREE, they are equally working as much as a person going for a 9 am to 5 pm job or rather more than that. But the value or respect a freelancer or freelancer mom deserved somewhere still lacking in society.
If I have to put it across, even a homemaker is a freelancer with no salary and no job description, no offer letter, no appraisal, and no holidays. Well, I don’t deny or don’t say that those who are working are wrong and their responsibilities are less but as a freelancer mom sharing some facts and true job descriptions.
Freelancers Job Description
Well, where to start from basically when you hear about freelancing it means everything, literally everything doing on your own. People supporting you will claim you as a boss lady, so but let’s face the true reality behind the closed doors of freelancers’ work:
- You will be known as Boss of your own as you are working for yourself.
- Search your work, all by yourself. Check with brands and companies to find job that fits your talent and work terms.
- Negotiate on terms of commercials as the matter of fact, freelancers are not so well paid but trust me, you are the only responsible person to pay your bills and taxes.
- You are in the driver’s seat so be flexible and work as per your convenience and time.
- Freelancing is not a piece of cake you need to be giving your 100% to your role and work.
Also Read: How to earn while traveling?
Challenges faced by Freelancers
Let me take into the life of a freelancer and know the truth and challenges a freelancer mom or any self-employed person faces.
1. To get work regularly:
As a freelancer, we continually look for work. Maintaining a continuous flow of work is the biggest challenge for any freelancer, there are times when we have time but no work, and sometimes the workload is more to handle and deliver.
As freelancers are one woman or one man army, we face a tough time finding out clients and brands, there is a lot of competition within the community and to fit in there and keep getting work is the biggest challenge for freelancers. You can check for freelancer jobs and work over here.
2. Financial Stability:
The grass is always green on the other side of the ground, but the reality is tougher than fiction. As a self employed where you have to pay your debts, bills and take care of all finances. Managing the expenses is the next challenge faced by freelancers as getting the next payment is a tough deal.
So, to maintain the flow of income we need to assure that flow of work and finances don’t get stopped, and while taking up assignments, and signing up the deal we need to be careful so that the lag of payments doesn’t cause a problem in your regular income.
3. Meeting up with deadlines:
Well, not to say, if you are a freelancer you know the pain and if you are a mom too then I don’t think needs to be explained more. Working from home with other responsibilities like cooking, switching off the gas after 2 whistles of the cooker, cleaning the poop of your little one, laundry work, and then sending up complete work in hand on time is the most toughest job in the world.
The only solution which helps us is to be organized, plan, and schedule because delivering projects on time can only help us to overcome the above two challenges in life and keep us getting trustworthy clients and brands for long-lasting work relationships.
4. NO employment benefits:
Are you looking for bank holidays, vacations, off-sites, or appraisals hold on !! A freelancing job is not for you. Well with 0 employment benefits and profits you are employed. Wow!! now that sounds so interesting right.
5. Deal alone with your failure:
It so many times happens that your pending money is not transferred or you are not receiving any job. That’s when you feel disappointed and disheartened, that’s only your loss as you are the only boss, employee, or peon of your brand and company. So, if you are getting a fake or bad client who refused to pay you, which happens many times with freelancers, you will be the only one to suffer and have to deal with it.
I know there are challenges in every field and every job role, but freelancers need to put a little extra effort to sustain themselves in the market where they know no fixed amount is going to be credited to their account.
What’s your take on this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
“This post is written for IT’S MY CHOICE Blog Train by Me and Gleefulblogger in association with Vedix and Kerala Ayurveda“
© Ruchi Verma
Disclaimer:
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ruchie Verma (WigglingPen) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
So true, Ruchi…I totally agree with you that freelancers need to put a little extra effort to sustain themselves in the market where they know no fixed amount is going to be credited to their account. If someone previously worked as an employer in a salaried or hourly-paid position, going freelance can seem like a big change — and it is.
While the freedom afforded by freelance work appeals to many, some people find it difficult to focus and motivate themselves without the supervision of a boss.?
Being a freelancer is not easy. But at the same time quite satisfying as we are our own boss and do what we like doing. Thanks Ruchi for letting people know what goes in to be a freelancer.
The one thing I like about freelancing is that we can choose our work and the people we want to be associated with. It’s an everyday struggle to stay afloat but is satisfying and pays the bills. In a way we get the best of both worlds.
I can connect with the post being a freelancer and coming from the corporate experience I can clearly gauge the difference in both the ways of career choices. It is so disheartening to see people judge freelancers. Wondering take on the topic.
Totally agree with every word you have said here, it’s not so easy as it looks! Staying at home and working both is real task and everything has its own pros and cons
Second that. Freelancing is as serious job as any other career options. Even if we are our own boss but that puts a lot of pressure. I have experienced poeple’s weird reactions when I used to tell them that I am a freelancer but now I have stopped worrying about what they think. What matters is how much serious we are about our job.
It will take time for society to understand what truly a freelancer is and how much effort they put across to give best work and at the same time manage multiple things in the background.
Being a freelancer is tough. Freelancers are easily over looked but there are so many challenges that they face to keep on doing their work. And I can so relate to times when one has no work and there are times there is a burden. It is so difficult to keep oscillating amongst such situations. To stay motivated and determined to work also productive in such situations is so difficult.
Absolutely freelancing calls for double the sincerity and dedication and it takes time to ace the art of being a self boss always but having said that I love it
Absolutely Ruchi, we are completely on our own. Right from searching/pitching for work to struggling with the failures. People see it as a relaxing job option but the pressure of finding work and being in the market is one of the biggest challenges freelancers face.
Well said, Ruchi Grasses are always greener on another side. Being our boss is the term that creates the illusion of a bed of roses for others. However, the hard work, a freelancer puts in is not lesser than office goers. Some judgmental lot in our society only create this illusion effect.
so true yaar. people think im a rich girl making money and having fun. seriously, if they only knew that i couldn’t pay my rent even if my life depended on it. lol.