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Well put. The other side of the coin, repeatedly demonstrated at every
economic downturn, is that the security benefits of full-time
employment relationships can be over-rated.<br>
<br>
Of course, you implied this in your "anything else" clause...<br>
<br>
Alex Balashov wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4919A542.20703@evaristesys.com" type="cite">
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I would, however, throw in a cautionary note whose general effect is
that freelance consulting as a full-time professional endeavour is
governed by the same laws of economics and marketplace realities as any
other business endeavour. So, I think my concern is with universalising
this path or suggesting that it is for everyone or even for most people.
Being on your own as a contractor isn't going to bring automatic
money, prosperity, or even survival any more than anything else is
automatic.
As a successful freelancer, I am confident you already know this very
intimately. But I think it's important that people thinking about doing
it understand this.
Most of what can be said about the sustainability of this approach can
be summed up as: "There's a difference between a [successful] business
model and 'doing work for money.'"
People in the latter category generally end up feeling like they have
the worst of all worlds - no security, working twice (or more) as much
for half (or less) the money, and 8 different bosses (clients). If you
end up in this situation, the "emancipatory" feelings of "escaping" the
"slavery of the 21st century" (the 9 to 5) can evaporate faster than you
can say "I'd be making more on the unemployment dole."
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