Anyone work freelance and/or from home?

[Double J]

I've realized that while I have no interest in starting up my own company, I also have little interest in having bosses tell me what to do the rest of my life. I don't mind working with other people here and there, but my job has to grant me the freedom to work independently most of the day. Indeed, I am the prototypical introvert.

 

So, I'm wondering if all this makes me a good candidate for becoming a freelancing/work-from-home professional. I graduated less than three years ago from my alma mater, yet have already built a solid marketing/writing background.

 

If I had to work a regular office job, I'd probably be most apt to gravitate toward jobs heavy on writing and computers (Web Content Editor, etc.)

 

I'm just serious about making the right career move. I wouldn't want a freelance/work-from-home arrangement to have me in dire financial straits.

 

Does anyone here work from home and/or on a freelance basis? What are the pros and cons?

 

Thanks.

[turnera]

I'm a writer and I do writing on the side. It is VERY low-paying. Unless you're a renowned writer who people will pay to have on their project, you're basically just working a lowest-bidder game.

 

Typical projects would be getting paid $10 for a 500-word article, and that's on the high side!

 

Your best bet is to market yourself to companies and become THEIR freelancer - and line up a bunch of them. For instance, in my day job, our boss went out for medical leave for a month, so she lined up two freelancers in case the rest of us got swamped. But that's maybe once or twice a year that we would use them.

 

Check out places like link removed if you don't want to do that, which is where you bid on jobs. But again, it doesn't pay much and it's usually lowest bidder who wins. I used to bid $15/hour (and I make well over $30/hour at my 'real' job), but nowadays you're lucky to get hired for $10/hour. And I've got 20 years' experience.

[jahur]

im a freelance photo-journalist. one thing i made sure of when left the apron strings of my company i made sure i had built up a load of contacts beforehand and when i felt ready 2 months in advance i let them all know i was going it alone. this worked for a long time.

 

the scary part is where the work slows up and you have children to look after and mortgage to pay, so be careful how you spend and put everything you can as tax deductable. yes its great having the freetime so to speak and not having a guvnor breathing down your neck all the time, but in this day and age i would surely like a sense of job security in my chosen field!

 

it is a good life but can be a bit daunting when things are quiet. this could be no fault of your own. time and tide rises all ships.

 

anything else please feel free to ask.....