Pros and Cons of Freelancing
If your current job feels more like a prison sentence than a treasured career; or if you flit from job to job with nothing seeming to stick; or if you are having trouble landing a job at all; freelancing just might be for you!
Being a freelancer puts you more in control. More in control of your income, of your activities, and perhaps most importantly of your work environment.
Self employment simply makes practical sense for many neurodivergent people. Not only do you gain more personal control, you are also able to self accommodate in ways that most jobs can’t or won’t.
Which is not to say that self employment doesn’t have its own challenges. It most definitely does. With all that control comes additional responsibilities and chores that people who punch a time clock at a regular job never have to deal with.
So let’s look at the pros and cons of being a freelance worker. And keep in mind that depending on you and your specific neurodivergence, what others see as a con might be a pro to you and vice versa. Likewise, the categories below can be somewhat fluid.
PROS of Freelancing
More freedom: As you can usually choose your own hours and assignments, you work as much or as little as you want (or need).
Pursue your interests: As you choose your assignments, you can choose to only apply to those that match your interests.
Self accommodations: With most freelance jobs, especially the remote ones, you choose when and where you will work. Likewise, you are also free to create the workplace accommodations you need to be most comfortable and productive.
Location independent: Remote freelance jobs allow you to work from anywhere you can get an internet connection, offering you the freedom to move or travel. Even at home, you won’t waste time commuting or money on fuel or bus fare either.
No long term commitment: Most freelance jobs are, by design, temporary. Even if you don’t like the particular job at the particular moment, it can be far easier to cope with if you know there is an end in sight.
Variety: You will get to work on a variety of different projects rather than be stuck doing exactly the same thing every day.
Sometimes higher pay: Often, freelance positions pay more for the same work than hourly or salaried positions. Of course, you must balance this against other factors like lack of benefits and the fact that the job will likely come to an end. Also, with more time and experience, you will also be able to qualify for better paying freelance positions,
Tax benefits: Being a freelancer is considered being self-employed. That means that no deductions are taken from your paycheck, and you are responsible for paying your own state and federal income taxes. Yes, your freelance paycheck is larger, but you will still owe those taxes. On the plus side, you can take deductions to offset that income, whether freelancing or in business. You could end up paying little to no taxes.
CONS of Freelancing:
You are always looking for work: Rarely will a single freelance job or a single client meet all your financial needs. Nor are they likely to continue forever. You will always have to be looking for the next gig, position, client, or sale. This may or may not present any problems, depending on your chosen field.
Fluctuating income: You cannot always count on having the same amount of income, as this will depend on how much you work and/or the overall success of your business. Also, things can and do change, so you can never 100% count that the income you make this month will be the same next month. It might be less, or it could be more.
Unstructured work/life balance: Depending on you this may be a pro or con, but if you are someone who likes a lot of structure, some freelancing or business options might prove challenging. However, as self-employment offers so many ways to self-accommodate, there are usually ways around this.
Risk of isolation: Even in-person freelance jobs can seem isolating due to their temporary nature, but remote freelance jobs can make you feel isolated even more. Again, depending on you and your neurodivergence, this can be a pro. If you dislike working with others, a freelance remote job you do alone might be the perfect match.
No insurance benefits: You are responsible for your own healthcare when self-employed.
You are responsible for your own retirement: When you are self-employed, nobody is deducting anything from your pay for retirement, nor are they contributing to your retirement fund. Aside from social security, which will be minimal, it is all up to you.
Liability: If you screw up and cause damage to property or harm to another person in the course of your work, you could be financially and legally on the hook for it. Professional organizations can often help protect you against this.
Lending: It can be difficult for the self-employed, especially newly self-employed, to get loans or financing for their businesses or in their personal lives.
As we said, these pros and cons of entrepreneurship are most definitely subjective and will depend on the individual. You will have to weigh the pros and cons regarding your freelancing path and your neurodivergence.
No business or job is ever perfect. It's a good idea to rank the positives and negatives into what you can and cannot tolerate, and go from there.