With the rise of working from home and working remotely, more and more people are now asking themselves what type of work model suits them best. One recurring question that often demands attention from all professionals is whether to pursue freelance or full-time work. Granted, you can juggle both, and many do, but what you’ll likely find is that one suits you better than the other. But which one?
Maybe you’ve already given it some thought, having engaged with digital resources for job hunters like this graphic design salary calculator or perhaps even industry reports. If you’re still in the research phase of your life’s next professional shift, then this is the read for you. Here are some top tips for choosing a creative job pathway that best aligns with your personal and professional needs.
Take the pros with the cons
A simple and effective way to consider which professional pathway is best for you is to list all the pros and cons for that particular position and work model. Try to get as many down as possible, as the more things you consider, the more astute your final decision will be. Once you have a few solid lists, take a break from thinking about it and do something else. Then, return when your mind is refreshed and begin to review each option, one by one.
It’s also good to ask yourself questions just to get a sense of what you may need. Do you enjoy being your own boss, or do you prefer working for a company? Do you thrive on the hustle of agency life, or do you shine working in peaceful tranquillity? Are you a sucker for a set routine, or does the sound of every day being different excite you?
As you consider each point in your lists, keep a tally of which points appeal the most to you. That way, when you break from this task, you should have a fairer idea of which pathway may suit you best. What’s important to note here is that this is simply an activity to get you thinking; nothing, at this point, is set in stone.
It’s not just about the path
While listing the pros and cons of working freelance or full-time is a great place to start, you will eventually need to shift your focus from the broad benefits of each to be a touch more role-specific and how the actual job offer available to you slots into your life now. Where you live, how you live, whether you are single or have a family, and all the other elements of your daily life must be acknowledged to ensure that you maintain a clear picture. Failing to do so could mean you end up having to deal with unforeseen obstacles down the track that make your creative path much more stressful than it needs to be.
It’s no use choosing a full-time pathway only to discover that you dislike the amount of time you’re in the office every week. Or choosing the freelance path and finding that you constantly feel anxious about where your next job is coming from. If you feel you may need security over flexibility (or vice versa), then these understandings will undoubtedly help you find the best professional opportunities to suit your needs.
By considering the parts of your life that exist around your career, you’ll have a much greater chance of striking the right work/life balance and, thus, finding a role that you can feel comfortable in for a greater period of time.
But what really sparks you?
Our creatives are an odd bunch. To the rest of the community (and even to ourselves, sometimes), we often appear to function with no apparent rhyme or reason. We’ll spend all day at our desks and achieve nothing literally, then leap out of bed in the middle of the night in a fit of creative hysterics, which is fine if your creative pursuits are solely for your own enjoyment.
If you want to earn a living from your creativity, though, then you do need some kind of routine. Granted, this may be something you are still figuring out, which is fine. Creativity is a mysterious beast with no real regard for structure. And while you might enjoy the energy of an agency environment, you may also find that the rigidity of this workspace isn’t ideal for cultivating your best work.
Alternatively, you might enjoy solitary days at the desk but realize that you need face-to-face interactions with people in order to be productive. The sooner you recognize and understand what kind of creative routine and environment encourages your creativity, the higher the chances that you’ll be able to set yourself on the right path.
In the end, it’s likely that you’ll need to practice a little trial and error to find what works best for you. But if you at least take on board some of the advice in this article, you are already setting yourself on the right path, even if it may not seem so at first. The wonderful thing is when you do strike the right balance, your creative career will blossom. Now, plant that seed and start growing!