Freelance vs Permanent 2012
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- omg0
I've also seen full time design positions filled by people who have not even gone to an art or design school. So they maintain these positions via seniority and management techniques. Problem is that they've become directors in positions, they can't offer and valuable contribution to trained designers but delegate work.
- d_rek0
I've been freelancing a lot lately but it's still doesn't add up to my salaried full-time position. I would have to work 20+ similar freelance jobs/year to bring me even close to my salary. And that doesn't cover benefits.
My full-time is actually a pretty cushy in-house gig and because of a host of personal obligations (Infant at home, house, student loans, etc.) I couldn't honestly set the freelance ship asail in good conscience right now. Thankfully, the gig is pretty insulated against ignorant management and an inept marketing department. My team pretty much offers their own level of expertise and service to the rest of the company as a whole while taking on some external paying work. All in all it's a good gig for now.
- ArmandoEstrada0
Ive been freelancing for about 10 years now, wont trade it in for the world. Some year were amazing financially, others not so hot. It is a struggle every day though....
- Why is it a struggle?ETM
- Because the invoices can stop going out any day.....ArmandoEstrada
- Fax_Benson0
Permalance
- big-papes0
I am debating the same thing right now. I am at a freelance gig that is interested in me going full time. There are advantages to both for sure. For me the stability is super important right now. I went through many weeks early this summer looking for work and hated it.
- clearThoughts0
Also, I mean. Daily rate freelancing.
- fyoucher10
On my own for 14 years only holding a FT position once (where I also freelanced at the same time).
Fulltime:
- Work hours are the same. You get off on the weekends and holidays. 9am - 6pm and then you're done with work, don't have to think about it too much after that.
- You know how much loot you're making every week.
- You'll make a decent salary.
- You have a job title.
- Health insurance.
- You get to see people in person.
- You probably have to commute. Possibly a real shitty commute.Freelance:
- You probably have to commute. Down your stairs.
- You have co-workers, mainly your dog.
- You have health insurance but you pay out of your ass for it.
- You have a lot of job titles. Basically everyone's. You do everything.
- You have no fucking clue how much you'll make next week.
- You can literally make 10 times as much as you do at a full-time job but you can also not make shit.
- You actually have to go out and get the work, get new busines, and maintain it.
- You think you'll have more free time but you'll actually be working twice as much.
- When everyone is off of work and in bed, you're still thinking about how you could do things better and everything you'll be doing the next day. You're never off.
- You work weekends. A lot. And even holidays.
- You'll have to deal with a ton of stress. But that's also what makes you stronger and better in everything.
- You'll make a lot of mistakes, but you'll learn from them VERY quickly.Freelance is all about how much you want to put into it. The people I know that DON'T work too hard at it (especially the folks who say they don't work that much), also don't last very long at it. The people I know that work very hard at it, are very successful. Then there's the in-betweeners, folks who work normal hours every week - which is actually the hardest thing to do.
I used to work like a madman (think 12+hrs a day, 6-7 days a week), now I attempt to balance it and make as much free time to spend with my family. However, I'm still working on average 55-60 hours a week.
Freelance is definitely not for everyone.
- Definitely thisnocomply
- If I am not mistaken I believe I took some of this advice from you many years ago, thanks!woodyBatts
- nocomply0
I don't think being a freelancer necessarily gets you more money and it definitely does not give you more free time. But the freedom and independence is kinda priceless depending on the value that you place on it.
Maybe I'm just not doing it right.
- you should give yourself a raiseflashbender
- flash gets a ++timeless
- colin_s0
i switched from permanent to freelance this year. digging it so far, but i think if i had anything that most people give a shit about (family / houses / things that cost money) i'd stick to something steady. being uninsured kind of blows.
but being able to work at night and not sit in an office is worth so much more to me than that. i think it depends on what type of personality you are. i have plenty of friends who are designers because that's what they went to school for, not because they're wandering creative types, which suits more toward a freelance and less agency style.
- ETM0
For those of you struggling, you are doing it wrong.
For example, surfing QBN is "research/development". Make sure to bill for that. So is watching Madmen or The Pitch. Bill for that too.
Make sure you have the dog around when you eat lunch. Talk to it about your project and write it off as a business lunch. Also charge back the time to the client that you were discussing as "meetings/consultations". If you're dog's name is patches, you are doing it wrong. Change it William James Powers. On the invoice, indicate William James Powers as present for the time billed. The name sounds important, no one will ask.
Buy some snacks / cold plates for when you watch porn, write that off as a work social or gathering. If you have a sketchy client, put 'em on speaker phone and boom, meeting.
Really, what is the problem?
- breadlegz0
Freelancing (in my opinion) is a MUCH better option if you have the balls to go out and get your own clients as opposed to sitting in your pants waiting for the work to come in.
As other people have said, it''s not for everyone. You have to be very self motivated and not Afraid to learn some sales skillz...
If you can do that though, you can make six figures.
- Chimp0
I went freelance a few years back in London. I loved it but did get frustrated at the type of work I was brought in to do.
I would like to set up a company of two or three people working in collaboration and supplement it with the regular freelance stuff
- qTime0
To be honest I'm past working for agencies.
I just can't justify working long hours for them.
I value my time and every minute past 6pm is gold for me.
So most of the time you get to leave on time while freelancing in studios, if not they pay you more which they should do for everyone!
- lvl_130
I took on a full time gig about a year ago. Was freelance before that for a year, and permalance 4 years prior until I moved out of state.
Freelance is great because you don't have to be sitting at a desk 9-5 and it gives you the freedom to pick who you want to work with (if you are good and prove yourself worthy), but there are those times when you get brought in and you work for 24 hours straight to meet deadlines. And then there are the times when no one is calling you up and you start to get that shitty feeling of "oh fuck now what? i need work!", which often coincides with having work and 3 other people trying to get you in on a project at the same time. feast-famine.
Full time is cool because of benefits and such, but if you can manage to at least work one day out of the office (more and more places are going this way...maybe not agencies, but corp and more business oriented places), otherwise it can get really stale especially if you just freelancing prior.
Permalance is probably the best of both worlds. I loved it, but wanted to get into a new city...so here i am, at a desk 9-5 :)
- ETM0
When I left my work, rather than freelance for agencies, I setup shop at home and worked on getting steady clients. The best of both worlds, more steady work, more control over projects, but also more freedom. A decade later and still going strong (although grown).
But despite the quality money, the lack of things like benefits and retirement savings matching etc. by the employer is missed (in the pocket book). I would think it would be even more stressful in the U.S., having to pay for your own healthcare.
- @clearThoughts
I don't know, but I assume Germany also has public healthcare, like more countries.ETM - I was paying $450/month for the wife and I...and that only basically covered us at catastrophe level. ridiculous.lvl_13
- Brutal.ETM
- I pay $500/month. healthcare here in the US is a joke.woodyBatts
- I was just looking a tax brackets for CAN vs US and they are almost the same. Yet yanks always say how we're over-taxed.ETM
- taxed. In some cases, US citizens pay more federal tax than in Can.
http://en.wikipedia.…ETM - The US gives better breaks to married couples though.ETM
- @clearThoughts
- cannonball19780
"And also that you wouldn't really be able to get to Creative Director level if you would go on Freelancing forever..."
There are freelance CDs.
- woodyBatts0
I have always been freelance save for a few long term gigs here and there.
In my experience you can absolutely grow as a freelancer, get to creative director level and even start your own agency, however there is a cost. It can be lonely not working on site. It's easy to fall into a rut and not know how to get out. You make mistakes and mistakes cost money, but in the end you are paid more and taxed less.
The myth of the freelancer is that you can wake up at noon, and work in your pajamas... but the reality at least for me is I am up at 5am and work 12-14 hour days. Of course I absolutely love it ... but you really have to ask yourself what your end goal is, and if freelancing is congruent with those goals.
Good Luck!
- i'm assuming you don't work 12-14 hours every day though, right? if so FUCK THATlvl_13
- 6 days a week.woodyBatts
- Work smarter, not harder.ETM
- 12-14hrs a day and love? are you american or something?qTime
- yeah, that's too long to sit behind a machine. i don't care that much about money or "loving" what i do to work that much. life is more important.lvl_13
- We presume that I am working hard not smart, but I have many clients and multiple businesses. I am not simply slaving at a machine, I sell products, develop products, design, paint, teach, speak. Etc. Yes I love it, I am an American.woodyBatts
- Smart would mean hiring people. I make more money having 2 other people do work for me and I collect off the top.ETM
- I still get to do the projects I enjoy, and have a life, while not dying in front of a screen like a S. Korean MMO player.ETM
- hektor9110
I've been freelancing for about 5 years now. I do take on projects that require to be in the agency, studio or HQ for months at a time. But, always come back to my home studio. Next march I will do something different, I'm planning to fly to Cabo and live there for 1 or 2 months work in the mornings and learn to surf in the late afternoons sounds fun lets see how that works out. I've notice that after freelancing too long you sort of developed a lone-wolf character for me it gets boring not seeing people everyday. But, at the end of the day it is in you to make it interesting.
I've learned to strictly make hours somes times 6 to 5, 8 to 5 or 11 to 5, but never rarely work after five 5. Thats where the trick is.
- ahli0
This is encouraging, I've just gone freelance from an agency that was basically an abusive relationship.
The assholes offered me the refused promotion when I handed my notice in.
- vaxorcist0
Fulltime was great in the 90's.... or early 2000's even, but after the 2007 or so, it seemed that fulltime wasn't much guarantee of anything, as you could be laid off without being ready for the feast-or-famine.... and you've given up a the "free agent" status but still getting a bit of the "domesticated animal" treatment that comes with being a fulltimer...
That said, being a "creative partner" freelancer is far better than being a "hired hand/canon fodder / last minute fix-everyhing" freelancer... there are different kinds of freelancing(!)