5 Reasons Freelance Writing Is Worth It
There are many pros and cons to being a freelance writer, and getting a full and honest review of the job and everything it entails can make a person question (quite legitimately) whether or not the benefits are worth all the pains, uncertainty, and frustrations which can also come with the job. Many people have a pre-conception of freelance writing as a job, and these preconceptions can often be put into two categories: the starving artist in a dive apartment scraping to barely get by in the most pitiful of way, or as a completely care free existence where a writer can be logging on at the beach, in a luxury European hotel, or anywhere during a job that looks more like a “best of” 1980’s montage of world travel. Both are often very untrue. The truth is, freelance writing is an extremely difficult and challenging job and while there are major benefits, these need to be weighed against a large number of cons, as well.
The following list consists of five reasons freelance writing is worth it and why even beginning freelance writing can be considered as a good profession.
Reason #1: Personal freedom. While the job is not nearly as care free as many people imagine it to be, there is a great deal of person freedom that comes with becoming a freelance writer. You get to be your own boss as you are self-employed, and you have the freedom to only accept jobs that you want to take. You can work the hours you’re at your best and from home in your Simpsons boxer shorts if that’s what you’re feeling. You can arrange your work around your personal life instead of being forced to do vice-versa.
Reason #2: Create your own job security. One of the major benefits of becoming a freelance writer is the fact that you are able in a way to create your own job security. You can work for websites who are always hiring writers; build a reputation for being skilled, deadline oriented, and clutch as a writer; and build a passive income which even takes away the need to work for others. While it may take some amount of time, you can essentially create y our own job security over time.
Reason #3: Stretch value of your income. This one might not be for everyone, but one of the advantages of being able to work anywhere with a secure and dependable Internet connection is that you also get to choose where to reside. In the United States living in the Midwest is ridiculously cheap compared to either coast, meaning $30,000 can go an extremely long way in Cedar Rapids, Iowa or Fargo, North Dakota while double that might be required to barely scrape by in New York or Los Angeles. Or if you love travel, you can go to Belize or Costa Rica where $1,000 a month can mean living on the beach with a level of life style that you couldn’t get for $10,000 a month in the United States. By choosing where you live, your money can go a much longer way.
Reason #4: Passive income options. One of the huge benefits of freelance writing is that you actually have the opportunity to build a long time passive or residual income online. This alone makes freelance writing a worthy career at least as a supplemental or long term supplemental form of income. Imagine making an extra one, two, or five thousand a month that just kept coming in from work that was already done and finished. That’s a life changer in every way, shape, and form.
Reason #5: Because it’s what you love to do. If you can’t imagine a better way of making a living than writing, then nothing should stop you from doing so. No amount of ridicule, difficulties, or fears should prevent you from grabbing your dream.
Hopefully despite all the potential difficulties and frustrations, this article has clearly shown you that these five reasons prove that making a living as a freelance writer is worth all the effort.