If you’re wondering whether or not you’re cut out to be a freelancer, you’re going to take an honest look at several things before you can make the decision either way. First of all, you need to make sure that you will be able to do the work – and that you’ll be willing to stick to a freelancing schedule. The other thing that you should keep in mind is that freelancing often involves doing a lot of advertising for your services – usually the only thing that keeps projects coming in is knowing where to look for work.
First of all, you cannot be a freelancer if you are unable to sit down and get work done. The most difficult part of being a freelancer is the same thing that attracts most people to these types of careers. You are free to work when you want and how you want. However, for many people, this can make it hard to get any work done.
What this sort of work means regarding payment is that you will not get paid for the amount of time that you spend working. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to sit down, and to work hard while you’re on the job. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself spending far more time than the job needed – which makes it hard to earn a steady paycheck.
You must be able to effectively allocate your time in order to be a successful freelancer. Most successful freelancers have set up their home offices and work schedules so that every aspect of the work is at least touched on during the day. For instance, some people choose to start in the morning by doing actual work – whatever it is that you’re actually getting paid for. Then, in the afternoon, it is usually a good time to scout ahead for more work. This way, you’ll be able to eliminate the lag time between jobs, and keep yourself in business.
Before you decide whether or not you’re going to try freelance work, make sure that there is a market for the work you do. If you’re at all unsure of whether or not you’ll be able to make it, then you should try freelancing part-time while still working your full-time job. This way you’ll be able to build up a portfolio of former work as well as feel out the potential market.