3 reasons why I choose to freelance over corporate jobs
During that time, my mental health was crumbling. I felt I was losing control. I cried as I worked. It was like my heart and brain were in a disagreement.
At age of 18, I started my first corporate job, followed by a short stint (two months) at another company. A year later, I joined a consulting company.
But after four years, my mental health was crumbling. I felt I was losing control. When I am not on calls, I cried as I worked. It was like my heart and brain were in a disagreement. My heart wanted me to stop working and all of these “tortures” but my brain encouraged me to continue as that was the most sensible thing to do. For those who are unaware of the consulting industry, it is the nature of the industry. For example, on Friday, when clients request for a report to be submitted on a Monday, partners call consultants to work even if it means working through the (Friday) night or on weekends.
Then, I quit the job… without a backup. By that time, I started to consider freelancing. Hence, I took a leap of faith and put my profile on Upwork to offer my services as a data consultant. Up to date, clients have entrusted me with two freelance jobs, one of which is still ongoing.
On top of being a freelance data consultant, I am also involved in side hustles that I have been dreaming about.
- I am a mathematics and guitar teacher.
- I am a content creator, creating content about guitar, productivity, ClickUp, and writing articles like this.
After being a freelancer for a year now, I do not have any intention to move back to a corporate job anytime soon. Here are three reasons why I choose to freelance over corporate jobs.
The first is flexibility. I work as Data Consultant on Mondays and Thursdays (full days) while I work as a Mathematics and Guitar teacher on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays (a few hours per day). In total, I work an average of 25–35 hours (including billable and non-billable hours). Good news; my working hours vary on a week-to-week basis! This means I can plan time with my loved ones and pick up new hobbies. 🧶
The second is money. Comparing on an hourly basis, I am earning much more than in my last corporate role. I have increased my salary (on an hourly basis) by more than half as a freelance data consultant. I looked at the minimum, median and maximum amount for my role in my country. Next, I selected an appropriate amount that suits my skills and lifestyle. Based on this Upwork article, for a full-time employee, there are 1920 working hours in a year. Choosing a 60% billable and 40% billable model, I then calculate my hourly rate.
The third is you can only do what you like or are good at. As a full-time employee, can you choose what you want to do in the company? Well, yes, to a certain extent. It depends on if your current role will have someone to fill in and whether the new role has available slots. On the flip side, doing freelance work means you can choose what you want to do! On Upwork, freelancers can either bid for a project or get invited to job offers. Whether it’s the Upwork jobs pool or Upwork invites, you get to pick what you want. It is your choice.
So, there you go, I have said the three reasons why I prefer to freelance. Personally, I feel that freelancing is still not widely recognized. Most companies prefer full-time employees. For example, my ex-colleagues have recommended me as a freelance data consultant for their friends’ projects but they were looking for someone who can do it full-time. It was a pity. I hope that in the future, freelancing slowly evolved to be more accepted and appreciated.
I know you are curious about this: Many friends and ex-colleagues have asked if I would go back to the corporate world eventually. Maybe I will, maybe I will not. Tell you what, if you want to know, follow me on Medium to get updates firsthand. 😉
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