There are many misconceptions about the freelance lifestyle, and most of them include things related to flexibility and the type and amount of work in general.
Rosemary Richings, a freelancer with 5 years of experience has opened up for Medium and talked about how people see her career and lifestyle. These are the most common misconceptions people have about remote jobs:
Is freelancing a real job?
Many freelancers claim that they have been asked when they will get a real job. This shows us that too many people still don’t understand the responsibility of remote work.
Can I do it?
The second misconception happens when freelancers talk with other people about their careers. Most often, someone will ask you if they can also work online like it doesn’t require any specific knowledge. The truth is the opposite and explained in the next fact.
Taking care of everything
Freelancers worldwide are talented individuals who have numerous specific talents. Remote workers are also hard-working, self-driven, and have tons of motivation to complete projects successfully. And all that – on their own. People who have never worked remote can’t understand that a freelancer must think about literally anything related to remote work – calculating the time that’s needed for one project, organizing their entire life according to the tasks they have, thinking about pricing, hidden costs, and even online misconceptions with clients. What to do if someone doesn’t want to pay them, or what to do when a client is not satisfied with freelancer’s work.
Challenges that come together with remote jobs
Of course, remote work also has many challenges. It may happen that a freelancer must turn their entire life upside down. Sometimes, they will have to work nightshifts if their client lives on the opposite side of the planet. Taking care of themselves and their health goes somehow along with all daily responsibilities related to work. It also happens that freelancers cannot clearly set their work hours, especially if they have more clients. Someone can call remote workers and need them at any moment.
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Overall, it’s definitely not easy, and if working hours are not set clearly, a freelancer may even face burnout.
But statistics show that more and more people are opting for a freelance career. There are many reasons for this, and you can check out some of them.