It is a valid question, why would anyone leave the security and benefits of a steady job, to risk fluctuating payment and an unknown future?
Internet has given us a shortcut to everything around us, we could communicate with people across the world, and work with people miles and miles away without being in the same room.
- If they are working then they are getting paid, this concept doesn’t exist in many corporates where they feel if an employee is paid, he owes them extra time, in freelancing time spent without money means no work.
- They are their own bosses, nobody tells them when to work or how to do their tasks (except maybe their clients) even then, they have the possibility of rejecting said clients, because having clients who go against your morals can be quite draining.
- Freedom of choice; freelancers choose projects to work on. They also choose the time and place to work, so it’s completely normal for a full-time employee to freelance on the side.
- They can work remotely, internet has made it faster and easier for people to work from their own homes, even find jobs; on the contrary to newspaper ads before. In fact, it has made it so easy that we no longer have to limit ourselves to our hometowns. Employees can work in other countries right from their own rooms. 91% of employees who work remotely have said their productivity has increased, this also lessened turnover rate, furthermore we don’t need to spend time and money on commuting.
“Technology is freeing people from the archaic time and place work constraints that are no longer necessary for today’s mostly knowledge-based work,”
- Stephane Kasriel, president and CEO of Upwork
- They earn more money than what they gain in their full time job. As they have freedom of choosing their price and can work through different platforms, even if they don’t earn more, many freelancers have stated that they wouldn’t exchange their newly found freedom for money.
- Lifestyle over work, people can prioritize what they want, whether it be traveling, being with their families and friends, learning something new, working another job, or doing absolutely nothing.
- Parents can be actively present in their children lives, they no longer have to miss their upbringing or choose between their families and their jobs.
- The majority of college graduates have stated that their freelancing experience has benefited them more than their degrees.
- They don’t have to dress up, skipping the dress code entirely or even wearing a dress shirt and a tie over flannel pants can be liberating and a little rebellious, employees don’t have that luxury, when was the last time you saw an employee in pajamas?