June 4, 2019 at 17:09Freelance or office? Freelancer response
Hi, I'm a freelancer in life. I am often asked why I do not realize myself in the office of the company. They say that remote work in a company is a certain middle ground.
Now I will try to answer all the questions at once in the form of a comparison of labor in the office or as a freelancer. Well, go ahead!
In my opinion, an important point in choosing your path is your ability to organize yourself or the need for control.
If we are more or less adapted to work schedules, bosses and teams from childhood (this is a kindergarten, and a school, and a university), then with freelance a little different story.
You need to understand that a freelancer is his own boss and subordinate. He forms a schedule for himself, loads with work and appoints a vacation.
This is not suitable for everyone, I know many people who, with all desire, can not force themselves to work diligently, if no one controls them. Due to the inability to organize themselves, such people are more comfortable in the office, since there is a clear schedule, a boss who says what and when to do, an equipped workplace, even a coffee maker.
Hmm It turns out the company consists of unorganized people?
You need to listen to yourself and understand whether you can work independently, without clear directions, office walls and the team.
My situation, for example, is somewhat different. I started my career as a freelancer sitting in the office of one of the factories back in 2008, and despite the fact that I'm terribly lazy, it was the monotonous and greenhouse everyday life of the office that pushed me to adventure. And also the bosses, work schedule and vacation once a year. This is all not for me.
In any case, do not rush to make hasty conclusions, because this is only the beginning.
Imagine that a specialty has been chosen, training has been completed, and you are thinking about where it is easier to start your career.
So, let's look at the main differences between starting your way in the office and freelance. To do this, I collected several basic requirements that must be met in order to get a job.
For freelance it is:
Example. You are an artist, so you must be able to draw, own all the necessary brushes, paints and, in fact, be ready to find a potential client and offer your services.
The requirements for starting a career in the office are extremely diverse depending on the specific company, I tried to highlight the main ones:
Example. You are a programmer, so you need to know exactly the programming language that is indicated in the vacancy. And also additionally possess knowledge of various office programs for teamwork. As a rule, be young and know English. Be able and love to work in a team, and your ambitions should not go beyond the company.
Accordingly, if you meet the requirements of the vacancy, then having passed the interview and the test period, you can start earning.
To summarize the differences in starting a career.
At first glance, freelance points look less frightening: you just have to be an expert in your field and you can already start a freelancer career. But you yourself (oh) will have to buy yourself tools for work - a computer, brushes, a camera and so on. And also look for orders and communicate with customers.
The company provides you with work and all the necessary tools, but it needs more than just a “specialist”, it needs just a “worker” - a person who combines the entire list of requirements. Including possesses certain character traits and knowledge, often not directly related to work.
So here I am a specialist. And at work, I want to be evaluated for my work, not chatter. Unless, of course, this is not the same thing.
In the previous chapter, you and I did not take into account a large number of different factors and examined the differences in starting a career with, so to speak, an ideal candidate. So let's add to all of the above the truth of real life.
Let's say you live in a not big city or not in a city at all. Accordingly, in order to get a job in a company that doesn’t even smell in your village, you have to move or get there. In both cases, the availability of work in the company for you is reduced. Since you will spend more time getting to work or incur financial losses on renting an apartment, transport.
What if you are far from 20 years old? You live with the realization that once you made the wrong choice and gave the young years of your unloved profession. And finally, I got the courage to change everything in order to adequately provide for the family. I’m sorry, but competing for a place in the company will be more difficult due to age and established habits.
Or are you a young mother who would like to do business not to the detriment of raising a child. I doubt that the office schedule will suit you.
What to do if you have health problems, you are limited in mobility or you are simply uncomfortable among people? I'm afraid the doors of the company are closed for you.
Perhaps you are a minor teenager or a student looking for a part-time job for the summer? So do not get into the company.
I am sure that there are many more people like you than young people who have just graduated from the capital's university. All doors are open for her, but what do you do?
I was born and raised in a small town of 10,000 population. And I had few chances to make a brilliant career as an IT specialist. But on my example I will tell you one thing - freelance equalizes everyone .
It’s absolutely not important for a freelance client how old you are, where you live, which university you graduated from, or whether you graduated at all. He doesn't care how you look and what your motivation is.
All that matters to him is the completed order. Qualitatively and on time.
Therefore, if we are talking about the accessibility for a wide mass of completely different people, then freelance for one reason or another has a clear advantage.
So no matter who I am, wherever I live or whatever I have done before, everyone is equal on freelance. I, like any other person, can work freely and earn decent money!
My parents always told me: “You need to work in a big company. Stability above all. ” And it's hard to disagree with them.
From the side, work in a large company looks much more reliable than freelance, and having a stable predictable income it is much easier to plan your future and be confident in the future. And then there is insurance and a pension.
It is because of the lack of stability of orders that many newcomers abandon freelance in favor of the office. At the same time, many specialists leave the office for freelance due to lack of freedom of action.
I'll tell you my story. In 2003, while still at university, I started working at a large automobile factory. He worked in the department of customs clearance, which was considered prestigious. A good team, a good salary, a company car, a quick upgrade. Not a job but a dream, especially in my small town!
But I was getting bored, very quickly the work schedule began to strain me, because the work was not always, but I had to sit in the office “from bell to bell”. And at some point, out of boredom, I began to drop by a freelance exchange. Then I was not a specialist in creating sites, so, self-taught. But I managed to take one or two small orders. Then I still did not understand how much this will affect my life.
And in 2008 there was an economic crisis. Our factory has practically stopped. Reductions began. At this time, I live with my future wife in a rented apartment. And only my endeavors on freelance helped me stay afloat. I already had a dream to earn money without leaving home, without a schedule and bosses, without borders and borders!
In August of that year, I earned an apartment rental. And in December, my income on freelance exceeded the salary at the factory twice. And, most importantly, today is 2019 and I'm still a freelancer. What is not an indicator of stability?
Of course, this is just my story. And everything could be different. But I’m sure that even without a crisis, sooner or later, I would still have gone for freelance. I would take a chance!
I believe that only being alone with your favorite business, without control and restrictions, you can qualitatively develop as a separate independent specialist. And yes, you yourself will have to form your own stable stream of orders. In the company, the reverse side of stability is often all sorts of restrictions - in the technologies used, programs, methods, behavior, appearance and so on.
My story is designed to show you that anything can happen. And without the skills of working “in the field,” that is, on your own, for one reason or another, you can instantly stay overboard.
I’m definitely closer to risk for the sake of freedom of realization and development of my capabilities as a freelancer, and not a calm and relatively stable path under the wing of the company.
According to a Google search, I found out that residents of post-Soviet countries spend about 6.5 years of their lives on work. At first glance, it doesn’t sound much, but if you think that the count is from 20 to 65 years old, and we still sleep a third of our lives, it turns out that work takes almost all of our active time.
Therefore, it is very important that when you are in the workplace you feel comfortable and cozy. Modern companies understand this and shape the work process, equip their offices to work more comfortably.
As a rule, your workplace will be equipped with all the necessary equipment for work. Well, during the break, you have the opportunity to drink coffee from the office coffee maker, relieve stress in the gym, or go to the PlayStation. Also, companies constantly declare a friendly team, various joint activities, teambuilding, training courses. The ability to move to another city or country where the company’s offices are located and much more. We add to this that the company conducts accounting for you, encourages you with cash prizes, gives birthday presents, arranges New Year's corporate parties, in general, paradise, not work!
What can freelance offer me? But nothing, and at the same time, everything! Let's figure it out.
Having chosen a career as a freelancer, I automatically lost all, without exception, pleasant office buns. So what is comfortable in freelance?
To begin with, it’s worth adding to our 6.5 working years the time we spend on getting to our comfortable office, which is about 2 years in traffic jams, metro, and minibuses. So, working remotely you will definitely spend this time more comfortable.
Work schedule. Shaping it myself! Reluctant to get up in the morning? Not a problem - I work when it is comfortable.
We go further. Workplace. Recall the famous saying, "Everywhere is good, but home is better."
Is there a more comfortable place than your own house? There you can be yourself, work in one sock, well, or in two, listen to your favorite music, set a comfortable air temperature, eat homemade food. Perform tasks on your computer using your favorite programs and tools.
The distance from my bed to the workplace is only ~ 2m. And when I wake up, I don’t think about how lazy it is to get up to put yourself in order and get to work. My attitude is positive and joyful, which leads to good working results.
A friendly team is great, but what if it's not quite friendly? All of us people and sooner or later become the heroes of office gossip and intrigue, which does not add comfort to the work process.
A vacation will also bring maximum comfort, not only do I determine its duration myself, but also rest exactly when it is needed.
My personal opinion is that the company really provides you with all the attributes of a comfortable life, but not life itself . I enjoy communicating with friends and not with colleagues, and at that moment when I want it. Go to other cities and countries to relax, and not to work. Have the opportunity to distribute time and earnings as it is needed at the moment. Yes, in return I have to keep accounts myself, set up a work schedule and control my vacation. But damn it, it's worth it!
Well, buying a PlayStation is not a problem.
According to my observations, the level of earnings of one and the same specialist in the company and freelance will be approximately the same, except that the freelancer will spend less time on work and on about the work activities mentioned above. Both in the company and in freelance, there is a career growth. Accordingly, the level of earnings varies depending on how developed you are as a specialist. In the company you are promoted and given a higher salary. A freelancer himself raises his own price when he sees fit.
But there is one significant difference!
The salary level in the company is often limited by region, country, competitors, desire of management.
A freelancer can offer their services worldwide without intermediaries. This means that by making efforts, you can enter the markets where the level of salary for the same service is many times higher than in the local company.
For example, sitting in Zhmerynka you can fulfill a customer’s order from Tallinn, Berlin, New York, while not having intermediaries in the form of a company management that takes a lot of money for its services.
And despite the fact that it’s more difficult to find a dear customer yourself than as part of the company, but the freelancer definitely has the opportunity to significantly increase his income!
What does it mean to work remotely in a company? All the same as normal work in the company, only without visiting the office. The requirements for the remote worker are the same as for the office worker, but there is much more accessibility, while all the advantages of stability remain. As for comfort, you will lose some of the buns that you could or could use while in the office. This coffee, ball PlayStation, gym and so on. But teambuilding, training and bonuses remain. Differences from freelance are not so obvious, but they still exist.
Despite the fact that you do not need to go to work, which is incredibly cool, but you will most likely have a certain work schedule, the number of hours per day that you must work.
The team and the team have not gone away, they just are not in the same room with you, but all the programs and methods of working in a team will have to be used. Holidays and wages are also regulated by the company.
Who is suitable for working in a remote office? In my opinion, such an opportunity should be paid attention to people who understand the absurdity of getting to work, but are not ready to set sail. Who appreciate the comfort of home, but at the same time prefer the stability of the office salary. It is also suitable for people with limited mobility, young mothers, those who are not ready to move or get there. But, as in the case of the office, the candidate needs full compliance with all the requirements of this company and the vacancy.
Should I call the "remote" the golden mean? Maybe you are right. But for me personallya company and in Africa a company , with all the bureaucratic troubles, restrictions and control. Personally, it would be more difficult for me to observe all the rules while sitting at home.
We have already sorted out a lot of information about the current realities of office and freelance. It's time to look into the future and understand what awaits you in front of each of the roads.
Successful work in the company implies career growth. First you are Junior then Middle then Senior then Lead. Which leads to an increase in salaries, better working conditions, possibly moving to another city, country.
The freelancer does not have any divisions into classes and classes . The level of your income depends on your skill, responsibility and the market you managed to enter. And working conditions depend on how skillfully you manage time and prioritize.
But there is a more serious difference, which, in my opinion, maximally affects the future.
A freelancer is essentially a company, only composed of one person. And this man, having worked for a certain time, in addition to his specialty, owns the skills of an accountant, manager, even a personnel specialist.
Unlike an office worker, a freelancer is a full-fledged separate specialist. Able to independently find an order, process it, efficiently fulfill and receive payment.
Adding to this the ability to self-organize, we get a potential leader!
And although it is possible that he has less knowledge of the company’s device from the inside compared to an office worker, it’s easier in spirit and disposition, as well as in a place with acquired skills and experience, to become a freelancer if you want to grow into a large company with your staff and perhaps even his office, no matter how strange it sounds. And in other non-working matters, show the skills of a leader and a creator.
In general, office and freelance can be compared with the example of television and YouTube. On television you will be provided with equipment, a studio, viewers and a good salary, in return you will be required to comply with the format of a particular channel or program. On YouTube, you have to do everything yourself, but for this you will have unlimited freedom of self-realization at your disposal.
I drown for freelance, but no matter what path you choose, remember - Live, and work in your free time!
Based on the release of Freelance or OFFICE. Analysis of key differences , on the YouTube channel " Freelancer Life "
Now I will try to answer all the questions at once in the form of a comparison of labor in the office or as a freelancer. Well, go ahead!
Your predisposition. Self-organization or control
In my opinion, an important point in choosing your path is your ability to organize yourself or the need for control.
If we are more or less adapted to work schedules, bosses and teams from childhood (this is a kindergarten, and a school, and a university), then with freelance a little different story.
You need to understand that a freelancer is his own boss and subordinate. He forms a schedule for himself, loads with work and appoints a vacation.
This is not suitable for everyone, I know many people who, with all desire, can not force themselves to work diligently, if no one controls them. Due to the inability to organize themselves, such people are more comfortable in the office, since there is a clear schedule, a boss who says what and when to do, an equipped workplace, even a coffee maker.
Hmm It turns out the company consists of unorganized people?
You need to listen to yourself and understand whether you can work independently, without clear directions, office walls and the team.
My situation, for example, is somewhat different. I started my career as a freelancer sitting in the office of one of the factories back in 2008, and despite the fact that I'm terribly lazy, it was the monotonous and greenhouse everyday life of the office that pushed me to adventure. And also the bosses, work schedule and vacation once a year. This is all not for me.
In any case, do not rush to make hasty conclusions, because this is only the beginning.
Ease of starting a career. Specialist or Employee
Imagine that a specialty has been chosen, training has been completed, and you are thinking about where it is easier to start your career.
So, let's look at the main differences between starting your way in the office and freelance. To do this, I collected several basic requirements that must be met in order to get a job.
For freelance it is:
- Possess practical and theoretical knowledge in their specialty. That is, be able to do what I decided to do.
- Have access to the necessary tools. In other words, buy, borrow,
steal,or rent the necessary tools or equipment for high-quality order fulfillment. - Find a market for your product or service. Register on freelance exchanges, or find other sites where you can offer your services.
- Have basic oral or written communication skills. That is, be able to speak with people, customers.
Example. You are an artist, so you must be able to draw, own all the necessary brushes, paints and, in fact, be ready to find a potential client and offer your services.
The requirements for starting a career in the office are extremely diverse depending on the specific company, I tried to highlight the main ones:
- Here, too, you need to own knowledge in your specialty. But it is precisely with those subspecies, technologies and tools that a particular vacancy requires.
- To have additional knowledge of the programs and practices that are applied in a particular office.
- To be young. This item is not always voiced, but, unfortunately, practice shows that it should be included here.
- Be fluent in English. I don’t see anything bad in the knowledge of the language, but nevertheless this is an additional requirement.
- Be a team player. As a rule, this is more important for the company than your knowledge. For leadership, it is necessary to manage the team painlessly, so the “upstarts” and overly ambitious candidates who are not used to playing by the rules will most likely be eliminated.
Example. You are a programmer, so you need to know exactly the programming language that is indicated in the vacancy. And also additionally possess knowledge of various office programs for teamwork. As a rule, be young and know English. Be able and love to work in a team, and your ambitions should not go beyond the company.
Accordingly, if you meet the requirements of the vacancy, then having passed the interview and the test period, you can start earning.
To summarize the differences in starting a career.
At first glance, freelance points look less frightening: you just have to be an expert in your field and you can already start a freelancer career. But you yourself (oh) will have to buy yourself tools for work - a computer, brushes, a camera and so on. And also look for orders and communicate with customers.
The company provides you with work and all the necessary tools, but it needs more than just a “specialist”, it needs just a “worker” - a person who combines the entire list of requirements. Including possesses certain character traits and knowledge, often not directly related to work.
So here I am a specialist. And at work, I want to be evaluated for my work, not chatter. Unless, of course, this is not the same thing.
Availability. Freelance calls everyone
In the previous chapter, you and I did not take into account a large number of different factors and examined the differences in starting a career with, so to speak, an ideal candidate. So let's add to all of the above the truth of real life.
Let's say you live in a not big city or not in a city at all. Accordingly, in order to get a job in a company that doesn’t even smell in your village, you have to move or get there. In both cases, the availability of work in the company for you is reduced. Since you will spend more time getting to work or incur financial losses on renting an apartment, transport.
What if you are far from 20 years old? You live with the realization that once you made the wrong choice and gave the young years of your unloved profession. And finally, I got the courage to change everything in order to adequately provide for the family. I’m sorry, but competing for a place in the company will be more difficult due to age and established habits.
Or are you a young mother who would like to do business not to the detriment of raising a child. I doubt that the office schedule will suit you.
What to do if you have health problems, you are limited in mobility or you are simply uncomfortable among people? I'm afraid the doors of the company are closed for you.
Perhaps you are a minor teenager or a student looking for a part-time job for the summer? So do not get into the company.
I am sure that there are many more people like you than young people who have just graduated from the capital's university. All doors are open for her, but what do you do?
I was born and raised in a small town of 10,000 population. And I had few chances to make a brilliant career as an IT specialist. But on my example I will tell you one thing - freelance equalizes everyone .
It’s absolutely not important for a freelance client how old you are, where you live, which university you graduated from, or whether you graduated at all. He doesn't care how you look and what your motivation is.
All that matters to him is the completed order. Qualitatively and on time.
Therefore, if we are talking about the accessibility for a wide mass of completely different people, then freelance for one reason or another has a clear advantage.
So no matter who I am, wherever I live or whatever I have done before, everyone is equal on freelance. I, like any other person, can work freely and earn decent money!
Stability. Freedom of action or a covered ass?
My parents always told me: “You need to work in a big company. Stability above all. ” And it's hard to disagree with them.
From the side, work in a large company looks much more reliable than freelance, and having a stable predictable income it is much easier to plan your future and be confident in the future. And then there is insurance and a pension.
It is because of the lack of stability of orders that many newcomers abandon freelance in favor of the office. At the same time, many specialists leave the office for freelance due to lack of freedom of action.
I'll tell you my story. In 2003, while still at university, I started working at a large automobile factory. He worked in the department of customs clearance, which was considered prestigious. A good team, a good salary, a company car, a quick upgrade. Not a job but a dream, especially in my small town!
But I was getting bored, very quickly the work schedule began to strain me, because the work was not always, but I had to sit in the office “from bell to bell”. And at some point, out of boredom, I began to drop by a freelance exchange. Then I was not a specialist in creating sites, so, self-taught. But I managed to take one or two small orders. Then I still did not understand how much this will affect my life.
And in 2008 there was an economic crisis. Our factory has practically stopped. Reductions began. At this time, I live with my future wife in a rented apartment. And only my endeavors on freelance helped me stay afloat. I already had a dream to earn money without leaving home, without a schedule and bosses, without borders and borders!
In August of that year, I earned an apartment rental. And in December, my income on freelance exceeded the salary at the factory twice. And, most importantly, today is 2019 and I'm still a freelancer. What is not an indicator of stability?
Of course, this is just my story. And everything could be different. But I’m sure that even without a crisis, sooner or later, I would still have gone for freelance. I would take a chance!
I believe that only being alone with your favorite business, without control and restrictions, you can qualitatively develop as a separate independent specialist. And yes, you yourself will have to form your own stable stream of orders. In the company, the reverse side of stability is often all sorts of restrictions - in the technologies used, programs, methods, behavior, appearance and so on.
My story is designed to show you that anything can happen. And without the skills of working “in the field,” that is, on your own, for one reason or another, you can instantly stay overboard.
I’m definitely closer to risk for the sake of freedom of realization and development of my capabilities as a freelancer, and not a calm and relatively stable path under the wing of the company.
Comfort. Life or PlayStation 4?
According to a Google search, I found out that residents of post-Soviet countries spend about 6.5 years of their lives on work. At first glance, it doesn’t sound much, but if you think that the count is from 20 to 65 years old, and we still sleep a third of our lives, it turns out that work takes almost all of our active time.
Therefore, it is very important that when you are in the workplace you feel comfortable and cozy. Modern companies understand this and shape the work process, equip their offices to work more comfortably.
As a rule, your workplace will be equipped with all the necessary equipment for work. Well, during the break, you have the opportunity to drink coffee from the office coffee maker, relieve stress in the gym, or go to the PlayStation. Also, companies constantly declare a friendly team, various joint activities, teambuilding, training courses. The ability to move to another city or country where the company’s offices are located and much more. We add to this that the company conducts accounting for you, encourages you with cash prizes, gives birthday presents, arranges New Year's corporate parties, in general, paradise, not work!
What can freelance offer me? But nothing, and at the same time, everything! Let's figure it out.
Having chosen a career as a freelancer, I automatically lost all, without exception, pleasant office buns. So what is comfortable in freelance?
To begin with, it’s worth adding to our 6.5 working years the time we spend on getting to our comfortable office, which is about 2 years in traffic jams, metro, and minibuses. So, working remotely you will definitely spend this time more comfortable.
Work schedule. Shaping it myself! Reluctant to get up in the morning? Not a problem - I work when it is comfortable.
We go further. Workplace. Recall the famous saying, "Everywhere is good, but home is better."
Is there a more comfortable place than your own house? There you can be yourself, work in one sock, well, or in two, listen to your favorite music, set a comfortable air temperature, eat homemade food. Perform tasks on your computer using your favorite programs and tools.
The distance from my bed to the workplace is only ~ 2m. And when I wake up, I don’t think about how lazy it is to get up to put yourself in order and get to work. My attitude is positive and joyful, which leads to good working results.
A friendly team is great, but what if it's not quite friendly? All of us people and sooner or later become the heroes of office gossip and intrigue, which does not add comfort to the work process.
A vacation will also bring maximum comfort, not only do I determine its duration myself, but also rest exactly when it is needed.
My personal opinion is that the company really provides you with all the attributes of a comfortable life, but not life itself . I enjoy communicating with friends and not with colleagues, and at that moment when I want it. Go to other cities and countries to relax, and not to work. Have the opportunity to distribute time and earnings as it is needed at the moment. Yes, in return I have to keep accounts myself, set up a work schedule and control my vacation. But damn it, it's worth it!
Well, buying a PlayStation is not a problem.
Income level. Better a hand in the sky than a tit in a crane
According to my observations, the level of earnings of one and the same specialist in the company and freelance will be approximately the same, except that the freelancer will spend less time on work and on about the work activities mentioned above. Both in the company and in freelance, there is a career growth. Accordingly, the level of earnings varies depending on how developed you are as a specialist. In the company you are promoted and given a higher salary. A freelancer himself raises his own price when he sees fit.
But there is one significant difference!
The salary level in the company is often limited by region, country, competitors, desire of management.
A freelancer can offer their services worldwide without intermediaries. This means that by making efforts, you can enter the markets where the level of salary for the same service is many times higher than in the local company.
For example, sitting in Zhmerynka you can fulfill a customer’s order from Tallinn, Berlin, New York, while not having intermediaries in the form of a company management that takes a lot of money for its services.
And despite the fact that it’s more difficult to find a dear customer yourself than as part of the company, but the freelancer definitely has the opportunity to significantly increase his income!
Remote work in the company. Golden mean?
What does it mean to work remotely in a company? All the same as normal work in the company, only without visiting the office. The requirements for the remote worker are the same as for the office worker, but there is much more accessibility, while all the advantages of stability remain. As for comfort, you will lose some of the buns that you could or could use while in the office. This coffee, ball PlayStation, gym and so on. But teambuilding, training and bonuses remain. Differences from freelance are not so obvious, but they still exist.
Despite the fact that you do not need to go to work, which is incredibly cool, but you will most likely have a certain work schedule, the number of hours per day that you must work.
The team and the team have not gone away, they just are not in the same room with you, but all the programs and methods of working in a team will have to be used. Holidays and wages are also regulated by the company.
Who is suitable for working in a remote office? In my opinion, such an opportunity should be paid attention to people who understand the absurdity of getting to work, but are not ready to set sail. Who appreciate the comfort of home, but at the same time prefer the stability of the office salary. It is also suitable for people with limited mobility, young mothers, those who are not ready to move or get there. But, as in the case of the office, the candidate needs full compliance with all the requirements of this company and the vacancy.
Should I call the "remote" the golden mean? Maybe you are right. But for me personallya company and in Africa a company , with all the bureaucratic troubles, restrictions and control. Personally, it would be more difficult for me to observe all the rules while sitting at home.
Prospects. And then what?
We have already sorted out a lot of information about the current realities of office and freelance. It's time to look into the future and understand what awaits you in front of each of the roads.
Successful work in the company implies career growth. First you are Junior then Middle then Senior then Lead. Which leads to an increase in salaries, better working conditions, possibly moving to another city, country.
The freelancer does not have any divisions into classes and classes . The level of your income depends on your skill, responsibility and the market you managed to enter. And working conditions depend on how skillfully you manage time and prioritize.
But there is a more serious difference, which, in my opinion, maximally affects the future.
A freelancer is essentially a company, only composed of one person. And this man, having worked for a certain time, in addition to his specialty, owns the skills of an accountant, manager, even a personnel specialist.
Unlike an office worker, a freelancer is a full-fledged separate specialist. Able to independently find an order, process it, efficiently fulfill and receive payment.
Adding to this the ability to self-organize, we get a potential leader!
And although it is possible that he has less knowledge of the company’s device from the inside compared to an office worker, it’s easier in spirit and disposition, as well as in a place with acquired skills and experience, to become a freelancer if you want to grow into a large company with your staff and perhaps even his office, no matter how strange it sounds. And in other non-working matters, show the skills of a leader and a creator.
The results. Drumroll
In general, office and freelance can be compared with the example of television and YouTube. On television you will be provided with equipment, a studio, viewers and a good salary, in return you will be required to comply with the format of a particular channel or program. On YouTube, you have to do everything yourself, but for this you will have unlimited freedom of self-realization at your disposal.
I drown for freelance, but no matter what path you choose, remember - Live, and work in your free time!
Based on the release of Freelance or OFFICE. Analysis of key differences , on the YouTube channel " Freelancer Life "