How to Go From 9-5 to Freelance
When you've explored the job market and found yourself going nowhere, how do you decide whether you should leave your nine-to-five behind or hold on and continue until you find something you like?
If you have a career in an annoying cubicle that you hate and only takes up all of your time and energy, it may be time for a change. You should strongly consider saying goodbye to that regular, demanding job to become a freelancer instead.
However, freelance work is not as easy as you might think. Although it's generally effortless getting started, it can be challenging to earn a full-time income, find freelance work, and decide your schedule.
With that said, in this article, you'll learn what precisely a freelancer is, why you should begin freelancing now, how to be a freelancer, and more as you ditch the drag.
What Is Freelancing?
According to the Freelancing School, freelancing means that you “work as an independent company” rather than being an employee for a company. It also means being “self-employed and often referred to as independent contractors.”
Freelancing offers the freedom and flexibility you need. It means that you set your hours, work on projects that fit your skills and passions, and are not beholden to a regular schedule when it comes to your work.
In other words, you make your hours, and this means now is the time to be a freelancer. A survey done by Freelancing in America in 2018 shows a ten percent growth in independent workers in the US.
You will find the experience wonderfully liberating when you decide to become a freelancer. Working for content creation and ghostwriting services like The Urban Writers allows you to bypass creating endless proposals, pitching, and negotiating on price points, only to get underbid by somebody else.
Why Freelance?
There’s no such thing as a typical day—you could be sitting in front of your computer working on a freelance project or working in your garden, reading, or doing something else that you love. The freedom to do what you want when you want is priceless. Here are some more of the benefits of becoming a freelancer:
- Control of your time
- Control your money
- Freedom of location
- Developing new skills
Becoming a freelancer isn’t for everyone, but it does come with some pretty awesome perks. Once you make it work, you get to work on your terms. Not only will you be able to set your hours, but you can also take vacation time without having to ask for permission or worry about company coverage.
The freedom will make all of that stress worth it—and then some. Are you one of those who fantasize about leaving behind the regular job you hate and want to try your luck, desiring to become a freelancer? Keep reading.
How Much Money Can You Make Freelancing?
Did you know that in most countries, freelancers earn more than average workers? According to Payoneer, who collected data from surveys of more than 23,000 freelancers from 180 countries, the average freelancer worked 36 hours a week and earned more than $39,000.
The mentioned salary above is significantly higher than that of the average wage of non-freelancers in most countries in the survey, so the next time you hear the phrase "freelancer," you might want to sit up and pay attention.
When you've explored the job market and found yourself going nowhere, how do you decide whether you should leave your nine-to-five behind or hold on and continue until you find something you like?
If you have a career in an annoying cubicle that you hate and only takes up all of your time and energy, it may be time for a change. You should strongly consider saying goodbye to that regular, demanding job to become a freelancer instead.
However, freelance work is not as easy as you might think. Although it's generally effortless getting started, it can be challenging to earn a full-time income, find freelance work, and decide your schedule.
With that said, in this article, you'll learn what precisely a freelancer is, why you should begin freelancing now, how to be a freelancer, and more as you ditch the drag.
What Is Freelancing?
According to the Freelancing School, freelancing means that you “work as an independent company” rather than being an employee for a company. It also means being “self-employed and often referred to as independent contractors.”
Freelancing offers the freedom and flexibility you need. It means that you set your hours, work on projects that fit your skills and passions, and are not beholden to a regular schedule when it comes to your work.
In other words, you make your hours, and this means now is the time to be a freelancer. A survey done by Freelancing in America in 2018 shows a ten percent growth in independent workers in the US.
You will find the experience wonderfully liberating when you decide to become a freelancer. Working for content creation and ghostwriting services like The Urban Writers allows you to bypass creating endless proposals, pitching, and negotiating on price points, only to get underbid by somebody else.
Why Freelance?
There’s no such thing as a typical day—you could be sitting in front of your computer working on a freelance project or working in your garden, reading, or doing something else that you love. The freedom to do what you want when you want is priceless. Here are some more of the benefits of becoming a freelancer:
- Control of your time
- Control your money
- Freedom of location
- Developing new skills
Becoming a freelancer isn’t for everyone, but it does come with some pretty awesome perks. Once you make it work, you get to work on your terms. Not only will you be able to set your hours, but you can also take vacation time without having to ask for permission or worry about company coverage.
The freedom will make all of that stress worth it—and then some. Are you one of those who fantasize about leaving behind the regular job you hate and want to try your luck, desiring to become a freelancer? Keep reading.
How Much Money Can You Make Freelancing?
Did you know that in most countries, freelancers earn more than average workers? According to Payoneer, who collected data from surveys of more than 23,000 freelancers from 180 countries, the average freelancer worked 36 hours a week and earned more than $39,000.
The mentioned salary above is significantly higher than that of the average wage of non-freelancers in most countries in the survey, so the next time you hear the phrase "freelancer," you might want to sit up and pay attention.
How To Be a Freelancer
If you want to answer that question by yourself, the best thing you can do is stop working a full-time job and see what it is like right now. (Or you can keep scrolling down.)
Seriously, you'll probably find that quitting your day job is easier than you imagined. But to be honest, freelance work can be challenging at times. Yet, you will start enjoying your freedom and then some soon enough.
Perhaps you might think that freelancing is a beautiful place for people who hate regular working hours, or you might think that it’s a surefire way of making money with a slow start but high gain: Many people make their entire living off freelancing.
The above are excellent reasons to ditch the traditional nine-to-five work grind and embark on a new journey of freelance work. Continue reading this step-by-step guide about how to escape a regular job to begin freelance work now below.
Consider Becoming a Ghostwriter At The Urban Writers
As previously mentioned above, when you decide to become a freelancer, you will be able to work with an adjustable calendar alongside the autonomy of work from home, finding the creativity and liberation that many freelancers get to feel in their lives daily.
Of course, traveling the world while you freelance is always an option too. It would be helpful to create deadlines that you actually stick to, though.
Ghostwriters at The Urban Writers bring stories to life that take their readers on unlimited adventures. They write memoirs and early readers, and romance novels and how-to guides.
They also teach and educate the masses on various subjects, from potty training to the stock market. Ghostwriters are more than just writers—they are word wizards!
What We're Looking For In Writers
Today, it's easier than ever to become a freelancer, but for most people, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the process and what you need to do to get your own freelance business up running.
The Urban Writers offers you the ability to build the long-term freelance writing career of your dreams! Here is one of the things that we are looking for in writers: A person who can comfortably write 1,500 words per day while having previous long-form experience such as writing projects of 20,000 words or more.
Additionally, writers who are interested in a long-term relationship with us are those who are well-versed in American English and consider themselves as a team player who love collaboration.
The Urban Writers also don't just focus on writers—we also hire editors, illustrators, designers, and translators! Whatever your flavor of freelancing, we have a spot for you.
The Freelance Life
If you feel a little lost when deciding whether to go freelance or go full-time, here are some tips and tricks to help you transition from a day job to a successful freelance career.
- Don't panic: When you first begin freelancing, you’re more than likely going to have zero ideas where to start. Also, you probably will not have any money to pay for freelancing coaches, nor will you have any freelancing mentors or communities to learn from either.
- Start from scratch: Since you won't know where or how to get started, it would help if you start from scratch, getting underway with the concept that first comes to mind. Everyone starts somewhere, so don’t be afraid to take the first step.
- Find your target audience: While there are some great free resources for finding clients, you’ll need to find an actual target market if you want to grow as a freelancer, and thus, we see that you're going to have to take this one step at a time going to have to take this one step at a time.
Stay Focused, Stay Healthy
Many freelancers get used to all-nighters because they’re accustomed to balancing work with their free time. The above is fine when you’re starting, but it can take its toll after some time. To stay focused and healthy while freelancing, try separating your personal life from your professional one.
An excellent way to do that is by establishing an office space separate from sleeping and eating. While working on new projects may feel like a second job at first, as long as you follow these tips and establish good habits early on, freelancing can be very rewarding financially and emotionally.
It would help if you avoid burnout and become disciplined to stick to your goal. Since the income generated from freelancing will be the primary source of your income, the aim should avoid failure.
Remember to listen to your heart and follow your gut instinct when pursuing your dream career. Never give up on what you love doing. There are many benefits to working from anywhere globally, but no miracles if you are burning out.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you're going to turn your traditional nine-to-five grind to freelance so you can be a free-time-for-activities person, you need to do everything exactly right.
Use the tips from this article to see how to get there in a few steps. Don't let people tell you what to do. Get yourself a great mentor that can show you exactly how to start and what to do. And then start!
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