Freelance or fulltime job?
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- senseg
Hey guys
Ive been doing freelance for more than 3 years. But now i'm a little bit stuck and thinking to go fulltime. What is your choice? Freelance or fulltime? Whats better and why?
For me - personally i cannot imagine how to be awake at 8 am and be in office at 9 hehe
thoughts?
- version30
medieval mercenary warrior for me
- kodap0
if you can't imagine that, maybe you should stay with freelancing some more until you are ready, because you'll get fed up more easily if you get a full.. It's a matter of being with a STRNG motivation if you want to embark on a new routine of 9to5.
a few months ago I was invited to be interviewed, it was a good agency and the'd pay more than twice of my income as free. I wsn't nervous but a bit unsure about going to work on a schedule / deadline base. In the first ten minutes and after a few questions and common talking about the market/job/creatiity process, I realized I wanted to do more on my own and pass it. in fact, because of this I saved a lot on future worries and the employer gave me a few good contacts so I could carry on.
long live freelancer. (that' my point of view if your batteries for good quality of life are still running.
otherwise, just go into it and "waste yourself" for the cause of money" ... not meant to influence you, but it keeps me sane to be a freelancer, although now I'm more into illustration, but the processes are almost quite the same as design.
- Momentum20
can a wild animal go back to the zoo?
- kodap0
can a wild animal go back to the zoo?
Momentum2
(Jul 25 07, 16:38)ahaha nice one!
- skelly_b0
I went back to a job after a semi-failed attempt at freelancing. And that first week in the office was awful. Momentum2 has it right, I was anxious like an animal in a cage. I continued to grind it out for 3 miserable years.
Now i have been back at freelancing for a year with much more success. Unless something terrible happens I will never go back. Fuck a paycheck.
- akoni0
full time is nice for the steady paycheck, you don't have to do your own accounting, and benefits are pretty easy to come by.
But yes I agree...
would much rather be freelance.
- smielke0
Personally I would rather be around a good group of friends than sitting alone at home by myself staring at a wall. Doesn't matter if the projects are good/bad on either side of the fence. I've done both and I prefer the office, friendships, no paperwork, no project managing and a steady paycheck.
- bcline0
Personally I would rather be around a good group of friends than sitting alone at home by myself staring at a wall. Doesn't matter if the projects are good/bad on either side of the fence. I've done both and I prefer the office, friendships, no paperwork, no project managing and a steady paycheck.
smielke
(Jul 25 07, 18:36)but not much free time outside of the office - at least not around here in the big apple where i've been + long commutes.
however, i'm a little young to start freelancing now... gotta build up the portfolio and work and that can only be easily done by working a full - time job for a while.
- visualplane_0
I never tried freelancing, but the money sounds tempting.
- orkman0
Doing my own thing now, can't imagine going back.
Do it. You only live once. Why not try it? If it fails, beg for your old job back. ;)
One thing to consider is do you have a few clients you can ramp workload up with? Are you able to sell?
- j_red0
just accepted a ft job after 3 years of freelancing. freelance pays a ton if you're good and the market's good, which it is, and you can laugh at people who only get 2 weeks' vacation.
i'm stoked to be fulltime because i'm going to work with a super solid team.
- lvl_130
has anyone mentioned full-time contract freelance?
benefits: you get paid for every hour you work. you are never tied down to an agency. more often than not, you will never work more than a typical 40-50 hour work week. you are around other designers that you can bounce ideas off of.
cons: you only get paid for the hours you work. you are never promoted, per se, while contracting. you have no benefits (ie healthcare/401k), and people that are hired on may not consider you as being an actual part of the 'team'. oh, and course, there is also the job security factor...you have none being a fulltime contract freelancer.
everything aside though, if it is an option, full-time contract freelance is the way to go.
...but i guess i am speaking out of experience, and am pretty damn lucky to be in the position i am in right now.
just my 2 cents to consider.
- MrD0
arent you trying to move to states?
- Meeklo0
...and you can laugh at people who only get 2 weeks' vacation...
j_red
(Jul 25 07, 20:41)I havent had time to vacation since I started freelancing full time...
you must be a lucky guy..
- senseg0
yeh, im located in Latvia now
the market is crap here, most of my income is from US based agencies.Unfortunately i cannot move without agency help there. But also there is a questions, should i move at all. i never been to states yet at all
- rafalski0
I'm with lvl_13, mine is a four days a week contract. The company uses a recruitment agency for my accounting, so technically I am hired by the agency and they invoice the employer. As a result, I get statutory 20 days paid vacation on top of the free 5th days of the week which I can move and rearrange freely (ie. take four 5-day weeks and then a week off).
Job security? Like you get any with a regular 9-5 job.
- Witt0
you won't know until you move there.
- senseg0
hey freelancers
what do you do, when you got no freelance? Since i was on vocation, no jobs now. I know it takes time to get back on track, but still - any advices?
- paraselene0
fulltime freelance ftw!
- madirish0
man, there must be a lot of cakes needing juming out of lately....
:)