Did you know that freelancers will be estimated to make up 50% of the global workforce by the year 2025, according to a recent study?
If this is the actual case, then expect plenty of professionals, in the millions, to quit their regular jobs and enter the freelancing world. While it presents the challenge of forcing you to learn how to market yourself and your skillsets, as well as low payments during the first few years of doing the job, it is possible to achieve your target of financial freedom eventually through hard work and effort.
There are many reasons to encourage you to take the leap into a Dormzi’s freelance software developer world if you are thinking of doing so. After all, opportunities abound for people with technical skills to make a living through freelance work – and in this article, we will explain some of these reasons.
You have plenty of opportunities when you work in web development
If you are someone that holds a web design qualification or degree, there are plenty of opportunities available for you to work in when you go freelance, even if you decide to stick to a regular job for some time. Your job is even more abundant online because the entire world has shifted to online work and jobs, and there is a great demand for professionals who can provide these skills to companies, businesses, and individuals.
It challenges you
Just because freelance web development work is seeking to be more popular than ever, does not mean it lacks detractors. They tend to state that being a freelance developer requires some special skills, such as discipline and doing work of very high quality at all times.
However, it should not intimidate you as much, because that same dedication was the reason why you became a web developer in the first place. It was never easy, and yet you succeeded – so in the same way, being a freelance developer challenges you to improve yourself and your skills, and not be lazy. The result is great results that also establish you as credible in the eyes of the clients you work with.
You probably prefer taking control of your career early on
As we mentioned before, there are plenty of jobs you can take on a freelance basis if you are a web developer, and the jobs are even higher when you have experience to boot.
While working under a firm can be exciting in many ways, it will limit you in others. One major reason is because you do not have a chance to select the projects you are taking on, the amount of money you earn, or how many projects you handle. Being a freelancer eliminates these issues, because you have the freedom to take your career in the direction you want.
Flexibility in your work time is a major issue
Regardless of what area you decide to major on as a freelancer, the flexibility of working hours is among the important factors that draws many into it. You have the chance to select the projects you want to work on, as well as the days you want to work on. You can also take some days off when you want to.
That brings us to:
Getting the chance to work independently
There are individuals who cannot stand being alone or working alone, because they feel isolated. However, a freelancer thrives in working alone, instead of working alongside a team all the time. It is also freeing because you can work from home or anywhere else, without many co-workers interrupting you or disturbing your focus.
It allows you to learn business skills
Not many software developers can learn extra business skills – until they go freelance. These skills can be anything from communication with clients, working with the demands of the client and talking to them about their vision for the project, accounting, and marketing to new and potential clients.
This is because a freelancer is an entrepreneur at the end of the day, so the whole job forces you to grow in other skills outside of your software development area.
These are not the only reasons you should consider quitting your job and going freelance, but they are a good place to start. Ensure you are prepared to handle the challenges that come with the job, and it will become easier to thrive in the long term.