WHAT I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO FREELANCE IS, WERE THEY FORCED TO DO IT SINCE THEY COULDN’T FIND A JOB? THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE FREEDOM? OR BECAUSE THEY GOT MORE MONEY THAN WITH A FIRM?
So, what is with the all caps?
40, All CAPS are really hard to read…
WHERE THEY FORCED TO DO IT SINCE THEY COULDN’T FIND A JOB?
“Finding a job” is all freelancers do. Making a profitable living as an independent consultant is a tough row to hoe. Lots of freelance designers end up getting a job because they do not have the business acumen, or personal discipline to be self-employed.
BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE FREEDOM?
Looking for work, production, finding the next project, client liaison, bookkeeping, prepaying taxes, liability insurance, purchasing, finding vendors, vendor liaison, city, county, and state regulation compliance, no time to take a vacation. I’d call that freedom; freedom to starve.
BECAUSE THEY GOT MORE MONEY, THAN WITH A FIRM?
Some do, most don’t.
Ok, so I’m guessing one freelances for about a couple of months after college (no more than 6 months) and one finds a job?
It depends on the person and what they want. I know a lot of people who worked corporate for years, and then went freelance for the freedom. There is no rule book, it depends on what works for each individual.
I know a lot of people who worked corporate for years, and then went freelance for the freedom.
And I know several who got fed up with the hassle of being self-employed and went back to the corporate trenchs.
To reiterate;
There is no rule book, it depends on what works for each individual.
Ok, so I’m guessing one freelances for about a couple of months after college
freelance n. 1 (also freelancer) person, usually self-employed, working for several employers on particular projects
Kinda sounds like the defintion of a consultant, huh?
consultant n. 1 person providing professional advice, strategy, etc.
professional adj. 1 of, belonging to, or connected with a profession 3 engaged in a specific activity as one’s main paid occupation
profession n. 1 work requiring specialized, advanced training, as law, medicine, etc. 2people in a profession
“freelancer” = “consultant” , “consultant” = “freelancer”
I’m not disagreeing with you at all. I’m poorly trying to tell the original poster that being a freelancer is not bad if that is what you want… nor is it always good times. Like you pointed out, you usually need to try it to see if you like it (and you might not)… it is a tough row to hoe as you said, and really isn’t for everybody (like me, I like the steady pay check life). The people I know that have been successful at it have been pretty independent types who don’t worry much, or piss people off… and have a great ability to network quietly.
As I said:
yo, we are in agreement; I understood your post completely.
independent types who … have a great ability to network quietly.
A quiet technician, drum beating and trumpet blowing, I’ve never excelled at. Probably why I don’t make more. Then again … how much do we need?
Years ago someone passed a quote on to me, and I’ve tried to embrace it, “Make more, or learn to like what you already have.”
gotcha.
VERY FUNNY !
I’ve found a great balance of having a day job that pays the bills and then freelance at night and on weekends for extra income. Yes, it cuts into family time, but the freelancing lets me get a taste of other product categories so I don’t get stale. I consider it “medicinal design treatments” that happens to pay decent money. Because I don’t have any overhead I can undercut most design firms and still make a good buck. My freelance business model includes finding clients in China where good design is sparse (so far).
I don’t think I have the stones to make freelancing my day job. Too much feast or famine…
I did freelance for a bunch of different places for about 3 months right after I graduated from college. Got some great experience at some places, met some really good people and also pissed off a few…goes with the territory. What am I trying to say? Hmm. I guess made good money working like that but I think the biggest issue was making sure I always had work lined up. One time I had to just stop working working at a place becuase I had to go another place the following week. It was kind of their fault though for grossly misrepresenting the project scope…it led to people being pissed off.
I still do freelance in between working full time and teaching 3 hours a week for the same reasons one-word does. It nice to see stuff outside the consultancy I’m at and since I usually bill hourly, I can spend a little extra time brushing up on new skills I wouldn’t have time to try out in the studio. Like surfacing in Solidworks. Still sucks. 
The important thing to distinguish I think is the difference in freelancing types.
there are three i think-
a. “freelancing” fresh outta school before you can/do get a job, or “freelancing” between jobs if you cant find anything. This may be more to do with you thoughts about freelancers not having the skills to find a job.
b. freelancing in addition to full time work. many designer may do this to bring in some extra cash, work in different industries (ie. product designer by day, graphics y night), or to just build up skills or portfolio, or even for fun.
c. Freelancing as a career. It is indeed a career to build a consultancy on your own and freelance. In many cases, highly specialized or experienced designers in an industry take this route after being corporate. Ultimately you make more money working for yourself in a consultancy than in most corporate studios, and as mentioned are more in charge of your direction, focus, resources, etc. Its not easy, but can certainly pay off. Not to mention that by tax write offs alone you make more net pulling $100K as a freelancer than $130K in house.
R
Some are forced since there skills do not match any employer’s needs. In another words those designers should work at a grocery store as a bagger all there life. Some are forced but will not admit true exactitude.
Ultimately, I think that a career path is something that an individual has control over. of course given more skill/experience you may want to be in control of your destiny and be a consultant, but there is also something to be said for the security of an in-house gig.
in the end, i think its not that important if you are on your own, the job title, or how often you work, but the results, your satisfaction, and your success.
R
I spent 11 years as an employee before I went freelance. I’ve been freelance for three and a half years. I wish I’d done it earlier, BUT I think it’s alot easier to make it work if you have lots of experience and contacts. I’ve a broad based experience, can do pretty much any category the client wants, I think I’d struggle if I did just kids footwear for instance. It doesn’t just stop at design either, I can usually find factories and salespeople if the client needs them, There’s also two of us, so I guess we can call ourselves a consultancy.
Why did I do it? I really hate working in an office, it depresses me, plus we live and work on a boat and we like to move it around lots, no employee would entertain our need to untie and go on a long wander now and then, I also have a dog, you can’t have that kind of lifestyle an a full time career.
Money? I earn less than when I was a design manager, but only because it’s my choice - I like lots of time off.
I’ve met some great people - I work with lots of business start ups who are really passionate about what they do, not the sort of people who ‘show up’ for work relunctantly every day, their enthusiasm is contagious and it’s really rewarding to see a plan come to fruition.
I know quite a few footwear designers in the UK, who are freelance. There are a few graduates who do it for a while then go into full time employment, but those of us that have been doing this as a permanent choice are mostly mid thirties or older, (the oldest I know is 71!) with tons of industry experience.
Finally, met with someone from a US brand last year, working in HR - she told me that there were far more freelancers in Europe - she thinks because we get free healthcare!
“Finding a job” is all freelancers do. Making a profitable living as an independent consultant is a tough row to hoe. Lots of freelance designers end up getting a job because they do not have the business acumen, or personal discipline to be self-employed.
what a tool.