As I continue this adventure, I've realized why freelance writing aligns more with who I am, my values, beliefs, lifestyle and priorities than being an employee. Here's why.
I value getting paid for my work, not for the time I spend at work
I have a plan to leave my 9–5
I made a decision earlier this year to start freelancing so that I could leave my 9–5 and focus my time doing what I love. So in the last two months, I’ve been side hustling like there’s no tomorrow.
As I continue this adventure, I’ve realized why freelance writing aligns more with who I am, my values, beliefs, lifestyle and priorities than being an employee. Here’s why.
I really get to work my own hours
Okay…I get it when companies say you can work your own hours. For instance, you have a manager who tells you they don’t care when you’re in the office as long as the work gets done.
But what if your work requires you to collaborate with people, like your team, different departments and programs, from different time zones? Whatever you’re working on, you need someone else to provide feedback, sign off on things, give you their subject matter expertise and so forth before you can wrap it up.
And what if this certain person is on vacation or sick or left the company and the position is vacant?
You have to adjust when you’re working depending on who you’re working with. What about mandatory team meetings? Monthly department meetings? Forums? Working group meetings? Committee work? External stakeholder meetings?
Generally speaking, whenever you’re working for someone, the hours are 9–5 and that’s the social norm no matter what your manager expects from you. And that’s totally fine if you like working those hours.
However, as a freelancer, I can literally work my own hours. I can do an hour of work (like write part of a client’s email) after I put the kids to bed and another hour of work (finish off a blog post) before they wake up.
The flexibility of when I work aligns with how I like to live my life. I plan to continue working similar hours once I’m a freelancer; however, I like knowing I have the option to pick my kids up from school, share an afternoon snack together, go to their school plays and take a day off (without having to request permission in advance) when I know I’ve worked enough that week.
Lastly, I don’t want to feel the pressure to attend a meeting at 5 pm because important people are there, knowing I’ll have to rush home just to spend an hour with my kids before their bedtime. I don’t just want to read them a story and tuck my kids in at night. I want the freedom to be available when they need me. I know once they’re in school, they’ll want to start spending less time with their mom and more with their friends.
I don’t have to do unnecessary small talk
You know how they say that the best jobs are those that pay like crap but have the best people. One of my favourite jobs I’ve ever had was working at a local coffee shop as a teenager with friends. It was so much fun, hanging out, chatting, getting to know the quirks of loyal customers while making a minimum wage plus meagre tips.
But that was when I was a kid. What about when you’re a grown-up and you’re trying to prove yourself, make the monies so you can buy the sedan and the house with the picket fence?
So you start applying for jobs based on your education and experience. But when you apply for a job, are you applying for the work you’re going to do or for the people you’re going to work with?
And how do you know you’re going to get along with the people you’re going to work with? You don’t. It’s a freaking crapshoot (Kinda like in-laws).
I remember doing interviews where I had to spend the first 15 minutes chatting with my potential team members. Obviously, everyone was on their best behaviour. Then when I got the job offer, I was like,
“Yay, I have no idea who I’m going to be working with even though I spent 15 whole minutes with them. Oh well…the salary and benefits are great so I’ll just accept it.”
Obviously, it’s impossible for everyone to get along with everyone and become besties; there’s always going to be people you don’t really like at work. It’s the nature of the job. How do you deal?
Small talk.
Small talk is one of my biggest pet peeves. It’s not only because I’m an introvert but continuous, mind-numbing conversations about fluff just don’t align with my values of living authentically and spending time with people I want to be around.
I’m in and I’m out
The industry I am in is healthcare/government so the years of service matter and internal applicants are given first dibs. So when I started my career after university, I took on a lot of contract positions.
I’d be working 2 part-time positions with 6-month terms. Then I’d pick up a year contract to fulfill a maternity leave. Eventually, I landed a permanent position. That was all I cared about. I wanted job stability, a steady paycheck with all the benefits.
However, as I reflect back on those years of doing contract work, I actually quite enjoyed it. I liked knowing there was an end date. There weren’t politics to navigate because I was only there temporarily. People knew that so they treated me differently (almost better). I wasn’t a threat to their corporate climb so they could just be themselves.
Again, this aligned with my values of living life authentically. I want people to be themselves around me because I want to be myself around them. And if they’re not gelling with me, I’m not obligated to do lip service or make conversations. I would focus my attention on doing the work, leave and I’d be on the next thing.
I value getting paid for my work, not for the time I spend at work
Do you want to get paid by the hour or by the work that you do?
When I was younger, I thought getting paid by the hour was the best thing in the world. Every hour I was at the office, I would get paid. I could be chatting with co-workers, sitting on the toilet, checking my personal email, calling my bank, booking my hair appointment or of course, scrolling through social media, shopping online or surfing the net and I would get paid. Don’t get me started on unscheduled computer system shut-downs, fire drills or anything that forces people to idle around and not work but still get paid.
But does the money make it all worth it?
Sure, when I was young and it was all about the money. That was when I didn’t value my time much.
But once I had my basic necessities met and a good chunk saved, does it actually make me happy to earn money for the time I spend at work? Or is it about the work I actually do?
It goes against my morals, ethics and values of integrity to get money for a lot of sitting around. I feel like a fraud, living a lie, cheating the system just to earn a buck. Sure there are days when I worked hard and every hour was exceptionally productive. But, like most folks (and if you just scroll some memes), slacking off is human nature, especially when it gets too cushy and complacency is the standard…which brings me to the most important piece.
I value being challenged for the right things
I love it when people say they like to be challenged but don’t specify what they like to be challenged with.
For example, being assigned roles and responsibilities that aren’t part of your job is a challenge.
Or sitting through an excruciatingly long meeting where people “brainstorm” and continuously “circle back” to the first idea that was presented is also a challenge.
Or what about being asked to lead a project with no budget, resources or sponsorship?
And lastly, how about managing a bunch of incompetent people who are in it for the paycheck but can’t be let go because they’re too good at lip service?
Those all seem challenging to me but not the right type of challenge. I want to hustle hard for the things I believe in.
I want to work for people who truly appreciate what I do for them, who believe what I believe. I want to help businesses with missions and visions that match my own.
I want to help people put their words to paper when they can’t seem to find them. I want to help them discover their voice so they can tell their stories authentically.
I want to write articles that inspire people to talk about their feelings despite growing up in a culture that hid them.
I know becoming a successful freelance writer is a challenge but it’s a challenge that’s right for me.
So readers and fellow writers, why did you decide to become a freelance writer?
