There is a great post on Publishing Careers about the path to becoming a freelancer.
Julie Cancio Harper talks about how she got to her current position in freelance. Very interesting, and I love her advice at the end. She wraps up by saying "I would urge you to work in-house and start your freelancing business part-time after hours," and this is exactly my advice as well. To jump into freelance without building a client base and gaining experience in how it is done is only for those who have another source of income and have the time to invest without the stress of earning a living right away.
Julie Cancio Harper talks about how she got to her current position in freelance. Very interesting, and I love her advice at the end. She wraps up by saying "I would urge you to work in-house and start your freelancing business part-time after hours," and this is exactly my advice as well. To jump into freelance without building a client base and gaining experience in how it is done is only for those who have another source of income and have the time to invest without the stress of earning a living right away.
4 Comments:
At Fri Feb 01, 06:12:00 PM,
Schizohedron said…
That's the only way I could imagine getting going. That and a fistful of informational interviews with successful freelancers, and maybe a preliminary discussion with a CPA just to learn the best tax and recordkeeping practices freelancers can follow.
She mentions the EFA, through whom I believe one can secure health insurance, the potential lack of which is THE biggest thing stopping me from freelancing full time.
At Fri Feb 01, 07:32:00 PM,
Amy said…
Yes, the EFA is something I have thought about, but right now I don't need the job postings or the listings so I'll wait. I do know that you can do the insurance, and I can see how that would be a large point to resolve first.
At Thu Feb 07, 08:49:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Amy, thanks so much for your comment on my post at Publishing Careers.
I agree with you, schizohedron, that the health insurance issue is pivotal.
The cost of health insurance through the EFA varies by geography, so make sure you research the costs for you down to the penny before signing up for any plan. Or for any membership, for that matter.
When combing through advice (and there is a lot of it out there) I always try to remember that "individual mileage may vary."
At Sat Feb 09, 02:29:00 PM,
Amy said…
Thank you, Julie! Yes, you are so right ... everything is individual. I am very fortunate that insurance and a 401k are through my spouse's office work. Of course, there are still many things to consider with freelance, but it's almost a year for me (I can't believe it!) and it's going well. I wish us all the best with our careers!!
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