Freelancing has gone main stream. Employers rely more and more on independent workers to sustain and grow their businesses. Freelancers of different age groups exist in all kinds of professions with varied expertise and experience. Gone are the days when freelancers were considered to be either “a euphemism for being unemployed or for being a slacker dude hanging out at a cafe with a laptop”. Freelancers are now a large part of the universal workforce and their numbers are increasing day by day. Large numbers of employed professionals are turning freelancers as the lure of flexible working hours, independence and higher earning potential is on the rise.
Any number of reasons can be given for a professional to become a freelancer but some of the most highlighted ones are these.
1. Flexibility : Flexibility is a large boon in a freelancers lifestyle. It makes you work – life balance more flexible than what a traditional job can provide. A recent survey shows that the flexible schedule is more important than salary to many the new generation workforce. As a freelancer you are your own boss and make your own hours and work on projects you like.
2. Networking: When in a traditional job you are limited to your working environment and settling with the limited networking opportunities allowed by the nature of your job. Freelance project developers have no such limitations as they can work with anyone and anywhere as they choose. This gives them the chance to hone their skills and get associated with other experts from various parts of the globes as well as interact with a wide variety of customers and projects.
3. Gain Experience: Freelance Programmers can work on a wide variety of projects and thus gain valuable knowledge and experience. Each project will be a challenge and different from the last and it beats the monotony of a traditional job.
4. Work from Home: Work from home is a concept that is being promoted by many MNC’s for the sole purpose of saving on space and infrastructure required for employees but they still have a lot of rules and regulations attached. Freelancing gives you the added advantage of working from home, at whatever time you choose and best of all “NO Dress Code”.
5. Added Income: Initially the income and career progress might be slow for a Freelance project Developer but with experience and good client base you invariable earn more than what a traditional job offers. Some freelancers do hold a traditional job and supplement their income with freelance projects.