The Things Nobody Told Me About On Becoming a Full-time Freelancer (Super Late Edition)

It was December 3, 2022, when I decided to finally plug out the PC I was using at work; I logged out from all working accounts and platform accesses I was given and semi-literally walked out of a fare-thee-well party my workplace has (begrudgingly) thrown for me. No parting words and no tears, it was seamless and smoothly done in less than an hour. A feat I thought I was unable to accomplish, and yet now I look back to those painful moments and gratitude is all I could feel.

I remember waking up early the very next day and walking to the Police station nearby, I was at work already in less than 24 hours after the so-called?resignation. After years of dancing with the thoughts and courting the idea of working as a full-time freelancer, I finally stepped out of the starting line. But 2023 was an amazing learning experience for me, and I have had the most humbling and insightful lessons entrusted to me.

The following are things that I have been fortunately able to learn/experience that opened my eyes to life as a full-time freelancer, which I think a lot of my fellow colleagues experienced (and mostly made amend with) but nobody from a 9-5 workers might realize.

1. Look at the Results Not the Working Hours,?my biggest confusion throughout 2023 was how to measure how productive I was - I had no idea how to devise the formula to know if I was doing things correctly! After all, I spent my life since 2012 working on a 9-5, Monday to Friday basis. Took me a while to realize that as a freelancer you must never see the amount of work you spent or invested on a project or a gig (as I love to call them, hehe) BUT INSTEAD focus on the result that said project or gig delivers! I used to focus on how much salary (plus benefit package) I may entitled to from my work (as an employee) that I failed to see that now I should be focusing on how to measure my work schedule (which is significantly lower) has resulted in a significantly higher income threshold (no kidding). Many days of 2023 were filled with anxiety and concerns, especially those days were I had no appointment or schedule. I let myself drown thinking that I was being unproductive and sometimes cursing myself for making the decision to become a full-time freelancer. 2023 was filled with a sudden gig to both Japan and Mongolia, two countries on the top of my travel list! It enabled me to finally purchase a dream gaming laptop (and all the games I had put on my Wishlist), it witnessed me getting married to the love of my life and has accompanied us in moving to a small suburban house we now call home;?alhamdulillah.?And despite now working fewer days (or hours), I have actually made many times over than what I actually made during my employee days.
2. Not all of those Glitters are Gold,?as I mentioned now I work less but for more results. But I was also struggling to understand that I needed to be able to discern gold from heaps of chicken feed. As a newborn freelancer, I have to endure pain (and anger) from clients ghosting me after service rendered, or invoices unpaid for many months. I have no way of dealing with my complacent self due to years of comfortable salary paid on schedule! Many instances of clients causing unnecessary drama over rates for service rendered, or using sob stories to stall for time (and demand discount ofc). I have tons to reflect on and learn to not always jump on the first sight of opportunity to project and gig, but toke truly take the time to ensure the time and efforts you spent will be well compensated. After all, you and you alone are responsible for ensuring you get what you are owed. In a world full of uncertainty it will be normal to truly have those extra precautions to make sure your livelihood is not gonna be compromised.
3. Me, My Clients, and My Friends,?I used to get too close and personal with my clients (I know, right) and often times it became blurry enough for me to have boundaries. Ensuring a professional service adhering to the code of conduct and the professional code might be too stifling if you are dealing with people you identify as your 'friends'. In other situations sometimes these so-called?mates?of mine blatantly mocked me for charging me for services or fees for my work. Friends in need, am I right? haha (*sigh*). There are a fine like that you, as a professional must never cross (think of it like the Rubicon river). It protected you from further unnecessary drama or hesitation to reject or refuse any requests outside the scope of service you offered. It might sound harmless for some people, and counterproductive for many other freelancers (who rely on networks and connections) but I personally draw boundaries to ensure there are limits to things that my clients need to know about me (and me likewise). Just like the jargon that not all your workmates must be your friends, not all of your clients must be your friends.
4. Be Your Authentic Self,?in my current line of work I deal with people from various backgrounds and sometimes I feel a bit anxious regarding compatibility between myself and the clients. I was still operating like back when I was working a regular full-time job; trying to appease all my colleagues to lessen any potential frictions or issues down the line. I found myself carrying this habit in the early days of being a freelancer! I was tiptoeing around the clients (and partners I was working with, lol) trying to be as pleasurable and agreeable as possible. I felt as if there was this thin spider thread over my head and I had to truly watch myself and my behavior around them. Took me months to finally become confident enough to act as myself around my fellows, and it was funny because they knew all along I was trying so hard to be normal around them! Whew, finally able to let go of the 'proper' me persona was truly a weight off my shoulders.
5. Your Health is Your Asset,?I remember my first job ever (interpreter for a Police Interrogation) and I spent almost six hours on and off at the Interrogation Chamber. At that time, I assumed it was?the longest interrogation?I would ever be part of. How naive, truly! Over the last two years, I spent a significant amount of my time traveling for my work (the Freelance one) and there are many situations where I had to truly watch over my health, ensuring that I will always be ready for any situation. Back in 2022, I was admitted to an ICU due to malnutrition after working for the entire G20 week. I worked for more than eighteen hours, all alone without a backup due to some complications with the employer. And aside from the fact that I have to spend a week at the hospital (which I greatly dislike) I have to turn down more than a dozen of work offers (I know I'm petty, but hey Money is money!). I learned the hard way to always prioritize my health so?I CAN MAKE MORE MONEY!.
6. Tight Purse Wisdom,?this one is a very very serious factor to take in. I'm an oversized child, mentally. I love games and I have spent A LOT on my passion; gaming, going to conventions, cosplaying - YOU NAME IT!. The fact that now I'm making more money compared to my corporate days (as I mentioned in point 1) is somehow causing me to spend more on my hobbies; making it hard for me to truly reel in my income for future savings. However, upon closer inspection I saw that the more senior freelancers adhere to the?Tight Purse?management style; placing certain rules and restrictions on their spending and strictly allocating big chunks of their income for both savings and emergency measures; to quote them, they always told me "our jobs are at times, unstable financially so we must be able to keep the rations going to prepare for the draughts". It truly served me well to always implement the tight purse policy; easy in but think twice before going out.
7. Adapt, Improve, and Thrive, throughout my journey as a full-time freelancer, I have faced many crossroads; rejected due to being underqualified, rejected due to lack of affinity; rejected due to lack of experience, and others. After taking a step back, I see the pattern of the ever-changing market; at one time you are a translator, then you become a language reviewer, and then you become an MTPE (Machine Translation Post Editing) there will be many moving parts to my work due to the advancement of technology (or simply the client prefer to pay less for service rendered, hehe) but there is this constant need to be able to adapt and improve so you will be able to thrive! You get the idea, one minute you are wary of AI (Artificial Intelligence) but the next five minutes AI will be your dearest friend. I learned that I must never shy away from admitting that I need to learn more to survive (and eventually thrive, HAHA), back in 2023, I went back to Uni to get the certification I needed. Spent a wonderful couple of months along with brilliant peers, and I gained more than what I bargained for. Thanks to that?certification?I was able to secure more jobs, allowing my war coffer to be filled up to the brim (and I can purchase those games on my wishlist, hehe). Oh! I was also able to provide for my beautiful bride's dowry, yeah guys! I am a (happily) married freelancer dude.
8. Who You Know Who Know You,?last but not least! I learned that networking is the key point that keeps my work engine going. As a full-time freelancer, the market is the one that provides me with opportunities (sustenance, LMAO) and we need to know the market well enough. Starting from building a proper and impeccable portfolio, managing a positive and healthy online presence, and cozying up to the right people who could help channel your services to the people requiring your services. I have to admit that due to limitations and restrictions, I have been unable to attend some get-together events for my fellow freelancers. But those events I'm able to attend? I will never skip them! There are many projects and opportunities that I was able to secure thanks to the people that I know either from my current line of work or from the previous ones. I am truly grateful for the courage I showed since my very first introduction to my profession (2017), I maintained my profile and portfolio which allowed me to market my service to the vast market!

Those points are things that I found out only after I made my way to the?full-time freelance?path, I am humbled by the experience and the journey I have gone through. I have to admit that after many years of not writing, I feel these fingers of mine and my mind lack the creativity and capability to deliver my thoughts. I would truly appreciate any feedback or input from my connections here. Don't hold back or be shy, please give me help to improve my writing abilities.