I went freelance three years go (egads, *that* long???) and
thought I was doing it for the money. I was sadly naive...
The money is pretty good, I have to admit, but the sense
of absolute control and flexibility that I now have is
by far the most valuable aspect of it for me. It took
me a while to realise it, but lack of control when
working in big companies was really pissing me off!
The best manifestation of that? Being able to turn away
work that I don't want to do or can't do, and not getting
shouted at by the sales director!
Other good things?
Work when you want, take days off when you feel like
it, wear what you want, sing at the top of your voice
while working, work with your pets, work in the sunshine
in the garden, yada yada yada.
Most of the time my work-related stress level is pretty
low. Of course, I sometimes end up with enough stress in
the rest of my life to make up for it, but hey :)
Do bear in mind that cash*flow* can get interesting when
freelancing. Not many people got presents from me this
Christmas, for example.
But if you can live with that risk, and find yourself
a supportive bank, then JFDI :-)
Oh, but don't *ever* go back to full-time employment.
Cheers,
--Chris
