Respect: Freelance vs Full Time
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- fyoucher10
IMO, I think it 'sounds' like this. I think when people associate the titles they also associate with financials, so I'll include my thoughts on that. Technically, it's not correct but to me I think this is probably a good way to think about it:
The 'typical full-time employee':
- You're comfortable where you are. Your job pays the bills. You go in for a set period of time to work but once work is done you're no longer thinking about work. You're not really thinking about stepping up to the plate and moving up fast. Again, you're very comfortable and aren't really willing to take risks like that. You're have a salary and are probably making less than $100k.The 'atypical full-time employee':
- You're not comfortable where you are, which is a good thing. You look at your company like it's your company. When the 9-5 is over, you're thinking of ways to make the company better. You're immersed in your work and the success of your company. You're probably moving up the ladder fast or are already at the top.The 'perma-lance freelancer':
- You work in-house. You're okay at what you do but don't have what the company needs to hire you full-time or to replace one of the already full-time employees. You come in every now and then when a company needs a helping hand. You probably get paid the equivalent of what a full-time employee makes an hour but without the benefits (somewhere in the range of $35 - $70 an hour).The full-time employees are not so fond of you because they feel like the people higher up are thinking you're not doing a good enough job, whatever that may be. It's likely that you'll get a full-time job in the future.The 'full-time / freelance hybrid':
- You work full-time and moonlight on the side. Either because your full-time gig isn't paying what you'd like to be making or because you take on projects that are cool and fun, maybe your in-house projects are dull (whatever the case may be).The 'Rockstar freelancer':
- You're really good at what you do. You go in-house to kick ass and you're in the position to get a full-time position at whatever company you want but decide to continue to stay independent and to pick and choose your projects and companies and make more than a perma-lance freelancer. You work by the hour, probably in the range of $50 - $125 an hour.The 'self-employed one man business owner':
- You work on your own, you don't go in-house because you don't need to. You may or may not be really good at what you do but have the drive to get "clients" who continually come back to you for work. You market yourself effectively. You put in bids for work and compete with other small businesses with employees. You work very hard but are one step away from actually running a business with employees, whatever the reason may be. You may have an intern or one junior employee. You're making more than a full-time employee but less than a full on business, probably somewhere in the $100k+ to $300k range. You're charging by project, you don't have an hourly rate per say. You occasionally hire outside contractors to help with projects.The 'Business Owner':
- You have employees. You have clients, real clients. You pitch to clients, you put in bids, you pick and choose the work that you do and who you work for. You're have enough income generated to hire employees of your own and still make enough to have 'profit'. You probably have a minimum project fee. It's likely that you're bringing in $500k+ as a company. You're an actual business with all the actual business docs. You've kicked your own ass so hard and now the rewards are paying off.
- Miguex0
^
Staff?
- akrok0
"what's the difference between freelancing and being the owner of your own studio?"
if you own a studio, you work there.
if you freelance, you could work pretty much any where.
- akrok0
GET A JOB!
- k_temp0
I think the term "full time" means a more stable profession and income. People, in general, tend to favor stability.
So, yes, it portrays as "easy peasy."but hey! you can say you've traveled to Atlantis and ridden a sea horse chariot!
- hah.. for me Fulltime means being laid off soon with no network, stuck in a cube hell office!vaxorcist
- cannonball19780
| | amt of fulltime respect
| | amt of freelance respect
| | resepect you probably want anyway- WHAT THE SHIT it took out all my spacescannonball1978
- thats the web for you.Amicus
- abettertomorrow0
Don't say freelance. Say "I run my own business"
- < - Also, on tax forms, I always like writing "President."arthur
- hahaProjectile
- cannonball19780
|___|
|__|
|____________|there
- nobody cares anymore.CanHasQBN
- you do not speak for nobodycannonball1978
- akrok0
if you freelance, you could say you run your own studio/firm. sounds bigger. might get more respect then.
- timelineabettertomorrow
- LOL @abettertomorrowk_temp
- Instant Timeline!fyoucher1
- haha. hell yes.akrok
- vaxorcist0
I'm FUCKING TERRIFIED of a former fulltime dev gig... maybe it's the ADHD... or the PTSD from having to be cooped up in a cube-land office with my back exposed to people ambushing me.... asswipes coming up to me every 15 minutes and either changing specs or asking me into a meeting with no info or demanding to know when something will be done that was just changed...
fulltime for me was sometimes like being a domesticated animal, sure, you eat but you're locked up.... and you can't say what you think if it will piss off the powers that be....
I love being a freelancer, sure I have no idea where the next meal is coming from sometimes, but I get to choose what I work on and I can speak my mind...
- Pixter0
Why not join both worlds?
Making Your Case for Telecommuting: How to Convince the Boss
http://www.quintcareers.com/tele…- Easier said than doneMSTRPLN
- harder than you think when you have to adhere to strict 9 til 6 rulesNot_Just_Another
- letterhead0
When telling people I was a freelancer I would often get a "well, that's OK!" like people were feeling sorry for my loss or something. haha
- PonyBoy0
if you're good at what you do and you're not a prick... you'll be respected...
... those who don't 'respect you' are merely jealous that you get to sit at home on your ass stoned watching episodes of the A-team in no particular order while you decide if you feel like working today or not
- Fanco0
there are a lot of freelance designers in montreal so it's very competitive. in general i find i get a lot of respect for the fact that i was a freelance designer. everybody knows its not easy. so everybody knows if you make a name for yourself and can live off of freelance, assume that you are not a lazy bum working at home.
but i obviously which agencies i've worked with and what clients you pick up have a bigger impact.i pitched myself into full time about a year ago and had an awful experience. but i made sure to change that. i'm starting next week in a new place that has a lot of respect and prestige in montreal.
- fyoucher10
Technially, as a freelancer, you're a small business...you have many more shoes to fill than a FT employee (you're your own Marketing Dept, Project Manager, Accounting, etc).
You could be a 'hired gun'...when the in-house team just doesn't cut it.
or you could say you're a freelance Rockstar!
- Say your self-employed. That's what I say.fyoucher1
- 'Rockstar' is good... then there's 'Visionary' and let's not forget 'Guru'PonyBoy
- And Ninja...fyoucher1
- self-employed sounds worse the freelance imoProjectile
- How's that? You run your own business. Sounds like an accomplishment to me.fyoucher1
- boobs0
1) Respect comes from the inside.
2) I have none.
- bjladams0
- WTFabettertomorrow
- He's got anger issues.fyoucher1
- i think its written by a chic. some valid points between the language thoughbjladams
- couldn't get over the pic. closed
spellcheck - I think the article is dead on.404NotFound
- Miguex0
Why care what other people's think? you have your reasons to running your own business right? If you want to wake up at 3pm and work wearing your pajamas is no concern of your client as long as you deliver what you promised on time and on budget.With some clients it takes time to get them to trust you, because there are a lot of flakes out there, no matter what you do, full time or freelance, trust will need to be earned.