Have you ever done freelancing?

I'm a film sound designer/composer, and have pretty much always worked freelance. I'm not sure I could ever go back. There are no office politics to deal with, no permanent boss, and I essentially make my own hours. I only choose the projects I don't hate (I don't have the luxury yet of only choosing projects I "love"). I'm only working with the same group of people for weeks or months at a time, so if they're assholes, I know it won't last forever. Most importantly, I set my own rates.

It took a few years of building up a client base, but now that I have it, I pretty much just let the work come to me and get new clients by word of mouth.

So no, it absolutely doesn't suck. You're your own boss, so it does require more discipline on your part and more accountability, but it's worth it for the freedom and dignity it provides.

My sister has free-lanced for years, and has always boasted her lifestyle over mine. But she recently confessed that she was counting on Social Security to fund her retirement. "I fart in your general direction". What an idiot!

R1 Marry me.

I did a little freelancing to boost my resume for an office job, and it worked. Freelancing was alright, but the worst part for me was that the taxes are a pain. You have to pay your own payroll tax, and you're supposed to file payments quarterly.

Some of the same disadvantages as with 'gig' work:

Everything is on YOUR BACK. It isn't just taxes. There is also health insurance, disability insurance and unemployment insurance. If there is anything you need to perform your job, you have to pay for it. No one is going to match your contribution to a 401k or IRA. I agree with rep 4, the quarterly taxes are a pain in the neck. They are not evenly spaced out from each other and it seems like they are always due. Also you may have to pay someone to do your taxes as they can be quite complicated.

No, it doesn't suck. I did it for a couple of periods of a few years or more. Getting started, arriving to a position where a reasonably reliable stream of work is a real probability, being able to weather periods gaps in work and income, learning how to size up people who simply want "to pick your brain" for ideas or hire you for some doomed to fail project, the added expenses and accounting... There are many aspects of freelance work that are less than glamorous. It depends on what type of freelance work you do, and how well you perform independently over years, not just a few months. I loved have busy periods then free time, even if these phases were not always ideally spaced. I was reasonably good at selling myself if someone had a good project and we had some professional connection, I never enjoyed discussing projects that clearly would not come to fruition or come my way (the grifting people who thought my work must be such good fun that I should gladly give it away to any and all.)

I have for the last several years. It hasn't been great (pandemic was a huge hit).

But it can be a great way to work.

The two biggest challenges are building the business in the first year or so, until you have a pretty active or engaged client base, and then dealing with taxes as a self employed person (quarterly payments). After you get the hang of those things, it can be very easy to manage.

R1 I envy you and your career. But what can I say, the 9 to 5 pays the bills.

What do you do when the customer is disappointed!