5 Reasons to Ditch Your 9-5 and Freelance Instead

1. Flexible hours 

Do you snooze your 7:00 AM alarm two…er maybe five times…before actually getting up? Or maybe you’re ready to work at 5:00 AM but crash right after lunch. There’s nothing wrong with either schedule, but it could make working a traditional 9-5 job a little tricky.

Freelancing could be a better fit for your schedule. And it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your earning potential. Maybe you have kids or other family members to take care of. Maybe you’re going back to school. Whatever it is, there are a lot of options outside a traditional 9-5 job that could work for you. Freelancing and other gig work could provide more flexibility. 

2. Decide who you work with 

If you were the kid in school who did the entire group project by yourself, teamwork may not come easily to you. Freelancing or gig work could be a great alternative for your inner overachiever. If you think you can get more done on your own terms, why not go for it?

And, if you decide you want help, you can choose who joins your team and in what capacity. 

3. Be your own boss 

An obvious perk of freelancing is calling all your own shots. Want to go on a spontaneous vacation, take Mondays off, bring your dog to work everyday? You can!

Of course, there is the added responsibility of making sure your little business runs smoothly. But if you work better on your own schedule, you may find being your own boss is a good fit for you. 

4. Choose your office 

After months of working in your living room, you could be dying to get back into a cubicle-filled office. But maybe not. Being able to work from almost anywhere is one positive take away from the pandemic. If you work for yourself, you can really use it to your advantage.

That could mean working while you’re traveling, or living in a more affordable area where you don’t need to worry about a long commute. It could also mean continuing to embrace the work from home lifestyle.

5. Personal Growth 

Stepping out of a traditional 9-5 job can be a challenge but it can also be extremely rewarding. It can give you the opportunity to learn a lot of different skills quickly like customer service, time management, and even accounting (after all, who else is keeping track of what you earn?). If all those instagram influencers can do it, why not you?