On our previous post we talked about the pitfalls of freelancing. If those points didn't deter you from your desire to be a freelancer; then you already have the perfect mindset and attitude to start your journey.

Today we will discuss the benefits and perks of freelancing. They are many but we will narrow them down to just 10.

Perks

1.       Job satisfaction – without doubt; freelancers enjoy the work they do. You cannot take on this lifestyle if you don’t enjoy the work you do. Otherwise the dream of being successful shall forever remain a dream.
2.      You can cut school – most freelancers haven’t yet had their first degree but the make twice even thrice as much as people who spent 3-8 years in college. This is because freelancing is about the school of life. They have more of practical lessons than the college student. You learn to cut corners fast because no lecturer drilled it in your head that this is how it should be done.
3.      Complete control of your prices – the thing about being a company drone is that you have to beg for a raise. The harder you work and harness your skills the more you can charge. And if you feel you are not making enough money you can charge per hour on your projects. For example you can use toggle to show your clients how much time you spent in a project.
4.      Work/life balance - freelancers have the best work/life balance. They can take gym and yoga break whenever they want. This is to say freelancers are quite flexible. They can handle personal emergencies better than the normal worker.
5.       You build your own personal brand – your client list, reputation and quality of work can build a successful freelancing business.
6.      Sharpening and learning new skills – learning new skills comes out of necessity rather than duty. This is also the same for sharpening your current skills. In a regular work environment work is delegated to who is best suited but as a freelancer, you need to learn most of these skills on your own. This can include accounting, designing, and client management and so on.
7.      Credit for your work – in the office scenario your supervisor or boss and the company receive credit for work done but not really the person behind the work. If a client likes a certain job well done, all the credit is yours and no one else. This will also enable you to gain respect in your field of work.
8.     No dressing restrictions - this is one we love most. Well, of course other than number one. Three piece suits, dull colours and closed shoes do not have to take any space in your wardrobe. The expense (yes we know it is expensive) for business attire do not have to eat up on your daily earnings.
9.     Say hello to tax benefits – working from home, cuts on office expenses, parking expenses and also business expenses required by law for you to abide with.
10.   Job security – this list would be incomplete without mentioning job security. This is a perk as well as a pitfall depending on how you would like to view it. We mostly put this as a perk than a pitfall because we believe as a freelancer you are ready to get yourself out there and prepared for rejection. 7 out of 10 people you approach will say no, but of the 3 you keep will assist greatly in building your portfolio and brand in general. In one sentence it means, the harder you work the more you will benefit.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and liking our page as well.

We have a final part to this series coming next week. It is on the type of freelancers around, and could you guess the top earners in the freelancing field before then.

PS. We are on a 90 day challenge on sharpening our skills as writers. So for 90 days we will have at least one post up. Feel free to criticise us and tell us on what to work on.