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I'm being made redundant from my current job in February. I won't get any redundancy payment because I have been there less than 2 years but I will get a retention bonus and compensation payoff.

 

I know I'll still have to get another full-time job but I've been thinking of using some of this money to train as a part-time freelance proofreader and supplement my regular income. If that is successful I can change the job/hours to suit my expanding business. I might even branch out further into copywriting.

 

Does anyone have any experience of any type of freelance work or home business? If so (i) did you have a 9-5 job at the same time, (ii) how difficult was it to adjust and (iii) did you ever go full time and earn a living from your freelancing?

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Does anyone have any experience of any type of freelance work or home business? If so (i) did you have a 9-5 job at the same time, (ii) how difficult was it to adjust and (iii) did you ever go full time and earn a living from your freelancing?

 

Before I got my full-time job I was freelancing while I was a full-time night student. I worked with a temp agency and would get called regularly to go in during the days or once in awhile weekends to companies. sometimes working hours ranged from 4 - 10 hours, and sometimes a few days a week, once a week, or months. The money is good depending on your hourly rate because you get no benefits. As for difficulty to adjusting, I think it depends on your client sometimes they may expect you to work long hours/be more demanding because you're hourly based and they might have tight deadlines.

 

As a result of my freelance experience at certain companies, the benefit of it is that it made me qualified for where I'm working now.

 

Though there are a lot of cases where people freelance at a company and wind up being hired for full-time which happened to some of my friends. My roommate and another friend have 9-5's but freelance weekends/nights and reap in extra cash for themselves. My co-worker is a permalancer (he chose not to go salary based), because if he works weekends/longer hours at night he gets paid for it. I would reconsider freelancing on the side but my busy schedule keeps me from doing so.

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I currently have my office...in my home. It's a consulting business where there's an employee of one...me. :)

 

I went to this full-time because I'd already setup my contacts/clients through networking in the business for years. I recommend you do the same or you'll always be scrambling for the next job and/or client.

 

I've been doing this for a little over a year, with more projects rolling in than I can handle. If you can make your clients happy, they will also provide you with referrals.

 

What I love about it is that I can play and work at the same time and still get paid for it. :D

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I am also an Independent Consultant, and I couldn't be happier with my job! I'm a full-time college student...and the Bohemian in me really hates 9-5s!

 

That being said, I also recently just moved to a new town, and it took me about 3 months to get my business to a level that I could work full time and pay bills with. (Luckily I had money saved up before the move to use while my business was adjusting to the move) If you don't have any money saved, and can't afford to wait a while for your business to gain notarity (sp?!) and get established, then I would suggest keeping some form of steady employment until you can go at your business full time.

 

But, to answer your questions: I do not have a full-time 9-5 at this time, but probably couldn't handle it because of school. If it came down to it, I would buckle down and get a part-time job in addition to running my business. The adjustment was difficult at first. I had to get used to a new clientele base, and I new geographical/cultural area. The adjustment was not as bad with business as it was with my personal adjustment to college/job/moving away from home/paying own bills for first time/being away from family, etc. I am currently making $800-1000/month....which as a 21 year old full-time student who lives with her partner and splits all bills 50/50....I'm doing pretty well, with at least a few hundred left over every month to save or spend as I desire.

 

I really LOVE my job! If you are secure enough, and are willing to deal with the shakiness at first.....I SAY GO FREELANCE!

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I currently have my office...in my home. It's a consulting business where there's an employee of one...me. :)

 

I went to this full-time because I'd already setup my contacts/clients through networking in the business for years. I recommend you do the same or you'll always be scrambling for the next job and/or client.

 

I've been doing this for a little over a year, with more projects rolling in than I can handle. If you can make your clients happy, they will also provide you with referrals.

 

What I love about it is that I can play and work at the same time and still get paid for it. :D

 

Hey girl, you sound like you do something similar to what I do. Would you mind letting me know what you do? Regardless, I'm glad you like your job! More power to ya!

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LucreziaBorgia

My exH left his 9-5 job to take contracts (he is a programmer and software developer). He makes easily twice what he did at his other company. He loves working at his own pace and in his own home. The hardest thing for him though was and still is, discipline. Making yourself work the hours that you need to without being distracted at home. It is all to easy to slack off at home when you don't have a boss looking over your shoulder.

 

He has to allot his time, and make himself follow a schedule in order to get his stuff done on time. He gets everything in writing, and follows a strict billing schedule to make sure he is paid on time. He also has to put money away to cover taxes as well since his taxes are not deducted in his checks. There is always the worry that the next contract won't be forthcoming, but the contract he is in now is for at least two years, so he's good for now. He always has other projects on the side as well.

 

It is not easy - particularly not the self discipline part, but in his case its well worth it. He is his own boss, and he gets paid quite well for what he does.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If you aren't a go getter, then forget it. I went out on my own about 5 years ago. The first thing I learned was that I was the only one that cared if I got a paycheck. I would take time now to get your feet wet since you are still getting a regular check. Good Luck!

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