Not that I'll add too much more to the discussion, but I felt compelled to chime in. See below.
On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 9:40 AM, Alex Hillman <[email protected]>wrote: > Interesting! I think you're preaching to the choir here, but I wanted to > come back with a few thoughts nonetheless. > > > Pro: Independence. You do what you want, when you want. >> >> Con: No Security. >> > > Working from home and calling your own shots aren't necessarily the same > thing. The most effective freelancers I've met are the ones that > collaborate...and hard. They may be their own boss, but they still support a > team. > I want to collaborate so hard! :) > I also don't believe that having a full time job means security, nor does > being independent mean a lack of security. My approach over the last year > has been to break my cost of living down into smaller chunks, and find more > sustainable ways to support those individual living needs. Client work isn't > the only path to income, and when you can get out of that headspace, your > world opens up. > Indeed it does. Going through that transition now myself. > Pro: Flexible Working. >> >> Con: Work Never Ends. > > I think this is something that coworking combats, and one of my primary > reasons to start coworking. More often than not, my laptop stays at the > office now. I choose when I leave the office and when I come in, if at all. > But I've finally broken the habit of "finding work to do" when I should be > balancing my life. > > Also, learning to delegate to other collaborators...who aren't necessarily > your boss...can save your sanity. > Work/Life blending is a skill most independents have to learn, generally the hard way. Those that are willing to go out on a limb and generate their own income are generally go-getters and work harder then their corporate counter parts (sweeping generalization, I know). This means that Work-aholism is more prevalent in these types of people and is an issue to combat. Then again, when I worked for someone else - I also put in the crazy hours to get the job done. This doesn't *always* work for me and generally is unsustainable and should be avoided. > > >> Pro: Keeping All the Money. >> >> Con: Doing Everything. >> > > You're presupposition is that you're working in solitude, with no team or > collaborators. I firmly believe that if you're independent and not > collaborating, you're likely to fail. > I started making more money when I brought on a collaborator. We split revenues in half, after cost. We both bring on clients and do biz dev, but our skills complement each other and we do higher quality work together than we do apart. Its fantastic and I wouldn't change it for the world. > Pro: No More Commuting. >> >> Con: One Less Room. >> > > Not much to argue with here...except that maybe you should check out a > coworking space near you ;) > I had a home office before I was an independent. I mean, its were the computers live! :) I've almost always lived near my jobs, so commuting has only been an issue a couple of times in my life. Now I just look forward to getting out of the house, so traveling to a cafe, or coworking space is kind of an adventure and a nice change of scenery. I live in Chicago now, so my commutes are by public transit and I get to brainstorm and catch up on my audio books while traveling so I feel productive while traveling. > > >> Pro: A Healthier Lifestyle. >> >> Con: The Loneliness. >> > > This one's up for debate. I know I've gained a lot of weight and am much > less healthy...but that's my fault, not my "jobs'" > > And that loneliness...well...I don't want to repeat myself :) > I'd have to agree here. Health depends on a lot more than the work you're doing, and collaboration and coworking is the antithesis to being lonely. I think the point here is that like retail and food service, working > independently is something that everyone should try once, even if its just > to see if it works for you. - Alex > Life's too short to stay at a job you hate, even if that job is working for yourself. I've known the joy of being independent for 6+ years, and while you have to learn a whole new set skills and its not always been fun, but personally I can't imagine living any other way. Freedom is choosing your own obligations. ~ Eric Marden @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
