Fulltime plus Freelancing
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- Glitterati_Duane0
I do. Although I usually only do about 5 projects a year not including independent projects. A couple of them are huge 60 hour projects for a repeat client. It gets nuts around those times. It gets really difficult but I make it clear to my clients that my day job gets first priority. My friends never understand why I'm always too busy to hang out and it gets frustrating explaining it to them and myself. I won't give up time with my fam so I usually have to work late at night to make up for any time I devote to them. It's definitely not for everyone but it has it's perks. I have a much wider professional network, a better portfolio, money for vacations, and pride in the fact I own a business. That being said... Taking on client work outside of your 9-5 can suck ass so I really want to focus on independent stuff in the near future. The money from the client work is addictive though!
- _niko0
worst fucking thing ever. especially when you have a wife and kids.
you end up doing half assed freelance work and you're a zombie at work from lack of sleep.
- bort0
I do it and don't find it that taxing. As mentioned before, just take smaller freelance gigs with longish deadlines. So long as you're not a procrastinator and the client is reasonable it usually works out. I like the extra cheddar and it's nice maintaining business relationships outside the 9 to 5.
- cannonball19780
fuck this shit
- arthur0
I did it for a short time, during my wife's maternity leave about 8 years ago. We were broke and thought it'd be a good idea if I covered for her (she was a designer) while she was at home with our infant son.
It was horrible, for both of us. Right as she went on leave and I started covering for her, my freelance work took off. I'd work her job all day, come home and work another 6 hours or so on my work, all the while not being able to help with our son when she needed the most help. Very dark period in our lives. Never again.
- Audria0
Doing it now. Im in love with my freelance project so I actually look forward to it after my 9-6. Im also working on my MFA applications so its getting a little hard balancing my social life but I'm also a workaholic so it keeps me sane.
- I'm starting a Masters in September. May have to give up the freelancingGlitterati_Duane
- duckseason0
I'm working FT now, one long-term PT freelance gig, and a side project in my "spare" time. I want to shoot myself in the face... But, I'm moving, so the extra money helps.
- Miguex0
I did it for a couple of months, just before the company I worked for started laying off people, the next day I woke up at noon, and I realized I had a lot of work to do, or I could go find another job.
This was in 2006. So kinda by accident, I fell into it, and till this day I have been freelancing full time.
- hektor9110
I do part-time and freelance.... after a couple of years I've been able to balance my time so i get to have fun also.
- scarabin0
best thing to do i've found is always hustle and make connections so jobs keep coming your way. then if one comes and you feel like doing it, do it. if not, hook them up with one of your designer friends. you'll get friend points for giving someone a gig, and you will have still solved things for the client
- i_monk0
If you need to work after work, develop your own projects. Do a series of posters, rebrand yourself, fill your portfolio with case studies and get it professionally printed and bound, learn motion graphics or whatever you don't already have experience in; design characters for a cartoon you'd watch...
That's what I'm planning on doing this fall.
- OSFA0
I do it. Have a full time job and freelance. I might work on 2-3 projects per month when busy and it's not THAT bad. You just have to learn to manage projects and schedule your time properly. You don't get to sleep much sometimes, but the extra income is definitely nice and helps, specially with a new baby ;)
I had a fulltime gig about 3 years ago and got a nice gig designing magazines for a big client. It was my partner and I and we both would work on these after our jobs (7PM-4AM or more) We did it for about two or three months and we made enough money and workflow to quit our jobs and open our little happy place ;)
- blogger0
I do it once in a while, but I know i'd be exhausted if I did it all the time.
- chalk0
Well, the difference for me has always been (as I said above) that my fiancé works nights, so I'm home alone anyway. Plus, I've always tried to limit working on the weekends at all.
I'm not surprised at the "it's not worth it" comments, because really, is it "worth it" to work yourself with 65+ hours a week? Extra money only goes so far towards overall happiness.
- d_rek0
You know. I'm almost taken aback by the overwhelming response that "it's not worth it."
I guess until I started doing it I always felt i should have been doing more outside of work but now that I have I guess I sort of feel a little of the same. The extra cash is still great... suffering physically and socially not so much. But I guess you just have to prioritize and compromise.
- chalk0
@stoplying and d_rek: That's the other thing I've noticed. I'm so used to getting told what to work on at work, and then having clients after-hours, I'm afraid that once I stop freelancing completely then I will have no clue what to do with myself.
- i_monk0
I have been, and as a result I've pretty much lost most of the summer and my weekends. So I'm cutting back and not taking on anything for the rest of the summer and fall. I think I've had 2 full weekends off in 5 months. 3 if you count the funeral.
- stoplying0
I used to have a couple of steady clients that kept me relatively busy and I phased it out because it just wasn't worth it. But strangely now, when I sit at home and have nothing to do, I feel sort of....guilty? Like I should be doing some work if there's nothing going on? Weird.
- I get this too.. now that my 2 freelance gigs are winding down. I almost feel bad that i'm not working after hours.d_rek
- chalk0
I am on the brink of putting a stop to this for myself. I currently work about every day after work, then I squeeze in another full day of work typically on Sunday. The extra cash has been awesome to help pay off some debt for my fiancé and to finance some trips, but other than that, it's not worth it. It has partially worked so well for me because my fiancé is a nurse and works night shift at the hospital, so I would be home alone anyway in the evenings.
My advice though is if you need the money badly enough then do it. But I wouldn't recommend anyone do this for an extended period of time. After I wrap up these two projects I have going on right now, I'm putting an end to this shit, because it's simply not worth it.