3 Dirty Secrets of Freelancing Nobody Tells You!
There I spilled the beans!
Freelancing is becoming a popular career option. And the biggest motivator behind it is the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this pandemic, people have become aware of the “work from home” fashion. And who doesn’t like to work in comfort?
I have been freelancing for a year now, and it’s not like I had a 9–5 job before that. Actually, I never got to the 9–5 job scenario. Therefore, you can guess I have some experience in the freelancing world. And I’m not just shouting facts and rewriting what’s already been written on the internet.
Freelancing is by far the most beautiful, stressful, teeth-grinding, joyous, pleasurable, and non-pleasurable journey. So basically, it’s a never-ending rollercoaster that’ll give you all sorts of mixed experiences.
Let’s go ahead and know what the dirty secrets of freelancing are that you should know before you soak your feet in it.
You’ll slip many times.
Freelancing is not a 9–5 job, but a 24-hour hustle. You’re your own boss, and there’s literally no one to motivate you. In the beginning, you’ll want to give up fast because, let’s face it, there will be less money and fewer clients. And if you have few to no clients, chances are that you don’t have anything to showcase your work.
And the best part about gaining a client is stocking up your best work from previous experience. But, you don’t have any previous experience. Then, what are you going to show others when you don’t have work to display?
So, this is why you’ll slip often and will want to go back to the rat race of jobs that you absolutely hate to do.
But know that this is your fear of failure and desire to earn more talking to yourself. The best thing to do is to give yourself some time. Try one or two things in the beginning.
Remember anything comfortable will never let you reach a goal. Freelancing is a constant struggle. I’ll be blunt about it. But, giving up too quickly will let your comfort zone win over your dreams.
You’ll be trapped by internships.
I am not saying that internships are bad for a starter. But, I think that many out there exploit a person’s skill.
To be honest, I did an internship with a company that agreed to pay me 8000/-for a total of 55,000 words. That’s $100 for 55,000 words per month. I thought it was easy enough. All I had to do was write two articles a day and I’d be good to go.
But, what that internship offered me was peanuts. And I’m not talking about money here. Even after writing for such a small amount, I wouldn’t get credit. And by credit, I mean my name displayed under an article that I wrote for the company.
Soon, I realised that it was just a trap to find cheap labour to complete their agenda. But, all I ask is to give some credit to the writer who dived deep into the topic, and researched and read god knows how many articles and resources to scratch out meaningful information.
This often happens in the freelancing world. To make your skills strong and decorate the wall of your portfolio, you might’ve or will fall into the same trap.
The best approach is to create your own portfolio by yourself. Buy a domain, craft a website, or maybe offer your skills to your friend for free. At the very least, you’ll get credit and a review for your efforts.
Nobody will understand your pain.
This is true. Freelancing is like that. Even in 2022, people around you might consider working as going to the office or owning a business. If you move around and run throughout the day, you’re doing something valuable.
Two weeks ago, my friend called me to hang out, and I replied that I couldn’t because I was busy with my work. The already expected answer was, “Well, it’s not like you can’t do that afterwards.” You work at your home. “ For a time, I was saddened by how others saw me working. And I know the pain of freelancing because you’ve got to find clients and, most importantly, commit to your work and make things dance around according to you and your client.
Of course, going to an office and doing a 9–5 job is something people see as a real work experience. So, even if a family member or friend tells you that your job is meaningless, don’t give up. Just focus on your energy and why you started in the first place.
Don’t let others’ thoughts ruin your freelance journey. Once you start to make money in the field, soon respect for your career choice returns, and everyone will ask you how you did it.
So, paint a picture of yourself as successful one day and let it be your motivation throughout the journey. The road will be a hell of a rollercoaster, but in the end, you’ll have a success story to tell.
Takeaway
Freelancing might make you demotivated sometimes, and it’ll happen a lot while you turn to the path. But, all you need to focus on is where you want to see yourself in the coming years. Doing a regular 24-hour job for yourself will pay you someday, but it won’t happen overnight. You’ll have to fight your way through the hurdles. And these obstacles could include constant self-judgment, questionable attitudes of others, or low-paying clients. But, remember this: in the end, you’ll win the race and will paint your beautiful journey into words.
Just collect yourself if you’re feeling down, take small steps and start making a difference in your freelancing journey.
