After having to deal with my last job (which, coincidentially, was my first, if we're talking regular scheduling & atual pay-wise), and currently puttin gin resumes and applications to various jobs, I've also been thinking about going into freelancing work. I mean, I am the creative type, and I want to use those talents for something. Though, there are two pretty major hold-ups for me to pursue this. The first one is essentially unreliable source of money. I could earn $3000 one month and $300 another. Unless I can develop a solid client base and stuff that provides steady work, then it's pretty much that, which'd make living at my own place anywhere just out of the question. The second thing is that I overanalyze absolutely everything. I can overcritique my work and complain about every little detail and not think it's any good unless it's perfect. I worry constantly about every single little nook and cranny regarding freelancing work, like how taxes for that would work, and especially how I'd be able to manage a workload from multiple sources. As in, I am very nervous when it come to time-based things, and have talked my way out of doing freelance work before because I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle the workload and self-discipline. It always feels like it'd be too much, and that's my main problem, really. I mainly blame school from about 5th grade to 10th grade for doing that to me. I mean sure I did it, but it was absolute torture to get through it all, but I'd refuse doing any extra work specifically because of a combination "I'd rather be doing something else" and "I can budget my time but oh god what if I stay up until midnight just doing homework". I mean it's not that I don't know how to budget time, but I don't know how to stop catasrophising about the worst possible outcomes when it comes to that. Oh, and portfolios. Perfection disallows me to put in anything other than school assignments but perfection also wants me to put in "actual" work. So yeah. Any advice?
Disclaimer: I have not done freelance work, but it's one of the main career paths for my field, so my master's program talks about it a lot, and I know a bunch of people who do it. Money: You will probably not make very much money when you first start, so you'll need to either have a day job, or have money saved up in advance so you don't run out. Once you're more established, you should (hopefully) be able to consistently make enough money to actually live on. You still might not make the same amount every month, though, so you have to account for that when you're planning your budget, and try to save some buffer for a lean month. How quickly you're able to hit the point where you can live just off the freelance work will mostly depend on how well you can get clients. You're going to need to do a lot of marketing yourself when you start out so you can start setting up a client base. The best way to market yourself is going to depend on your field, so you'll have to do some research there. But if you can get a few clients providing steady work you won't need to devote as much time to marketing. Make sure you set your rates high enough!! Do not set super low rates in an effort to get more clients; in the long run it won't be good for you or other freelancers in your field. Base your rates on how much money you need to make to live on and how many hours you're planning to work. There are formulas and calculators online that can help you with this part. Taxes are definitely a thing you'll need to research. I know there are books on taxes for freelancers specifically, but I'm failing to remember specific recs right now, sorry! The big thing is to make sure you keep records of everything you do monetarily for your freelance business -- you want to make sure you have accurate records of the money you make, and you want to keep track of your business expenses. If you're really confused it's probably best to talk to an accountant about your specific situation. Overanalyzing: Advice for this kind of thing is a bit YMMV, but. What helps me with that kind of freaking out is having as much information as possible to remove unknown factors from the equation, so to speak. So doing research on exactly how freelancing in your field works might help some. Self-discipline and time management are very important for freelancing, though, so if you struggle with those then you'll definitely need to work on them to manage freelance work. My suggestion would be to have a plan in place before you officially start working -- figure out how much time you can devote to freelance work (not just the work itself, but also marketing, invoicing, etc.), when the best times in your schedule are for you to do that work, how you're going to keep track of your jobs, and so forth. Then start off slow and try to get a couple smallish jobs, and see how they go. Once you've managed to successfully complete a few jobs you'll have a better idea what kind of process works best for you, and you'll be more confident in your ability to get everything done, which should hopefully help with the anxiety. Also, if you know you're going to freak out about worst possible outcomes, try to plan for them! You can do things like intentionally allot more time for a task than you think you'll actually need, just in case something horrible happens. Then when your brain starts yelling about "WHAT IF THIS HORRIBLE THING HAPPENS", you can counter by reminding it that you'll still have time to finish even if that thing does happen. Specifically, when you're discussing deadlines with a client, you can ask for a day or two more than you think you'll need, as a sort of buffer time. They might say no, but if they agree then you have that buffer in place just in case something goes wrong. (And then if nothing goes wrong you can deliver early, which will make the client happy!) Portfolios: I don't really have anything for this, sorry; my current field really doesn't use them, and I was absolutely terrible at them last time I was in a field that did @_@ So yeah uh that got a bit long, but hopefully some of it is helpful to you? I'm trying to get started with freelancing myself soon, so I know it can be kind of scary and overwhelming. Good luck!
I do freelance! I've been doing it off and on since 2009, and right now work about 30 hours a week for one long-term client while I go to school. I'm not sure what kind you do, but general tips: don't use Elance. You will not get paid anywhere near market rate. check Craigslist for new clients have a website. doesn't have to be perfect, but have one your portfolio should have at least 3 things of a range of styles. Perfect doesn't matter as much as adaptable. Get up the same time every day. This is super important, as freerunning schedules happen and make everything harder. Set work hours (I am really bad at this to the point that my roommate or Albedo would both laugh and judge me for putting this on here, but it's important.) They don't have to be strict, but I make sure I start by noon and stop by midnight. Until you have clients, your job is finding them. Try to spend a work day every day setting stuff up and joining professional groups and replying to ads. Once you have clients, if they're short-term, try to spend at least three hours a week looking for new clients. Check out comparable rates for what you do, and don't undercut. You're entitled to make a living, and low end is fine with low experience, but you should still be making what you're worth. Don't talk down your work in front of clients. Don't talk down other clients in front of potential clients. Keep books. They don't have to be complicated. I do all online banking and rarely carry cash, so I don't write down outlay. I record my hours and my rates, though. This will save your sanity come tax season. Communication time is work time. If you are spending 3 hours working out exact specifications, those are 3 hours you are working. Uh. That's all I can think of. Having a job while you try to set up is a good tip, but if you can float for a month or two and make yourself hunt down clients, it might not be urgent.
