What I learned from 2 years of freelancing 🤫💰
Tags: webdev, career, productivity, motivation
Published: 2023-04-30 01:52:46

Ah **freelancing**, the dream of working from **anywhere in the world**, **being your own boss**, and **making a ton of money**. It's a life numerous people dream of. I started **freelancing** in May 2021 & never looked back.

![happy-dance](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/821apd5pwcsjse8ui3pz.gif)

In one year, I became one of the **top 3% of freelancers** on the planet (as a **Top Rated Plus Freelancer** on **Upwork**) & I have already gone through the highest of highs & lowest of lows of **freelancing**.

Let's discuss some of the pros & cons of **freelancing** I found out the hard way.

## Pros

Let's start off with the mindblowing pros that come with **freelancing**!

### 1. Money, money & some more money

If you DON'T reside in one of the **developed countries**, you are in for an incredible surprise my friend, as you can make a ton of money relatively easily by **freelancing**!

Of course, you **need to have the skills to justify what you charge**, but due to **geographical arbitrage** (a fancy term for **earning in a strong currency** & **spending in a weak currency**), you can make a lot of money.

Earning **$60/hour** might be classified as poor in **New York, US**, but in **India**, it's mind-numbing money & can easily land you in the **top 0.1% earners** in the country.

![money-shower](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jf2ao6ifnd5ftcdlyjdq.gif)

### 2. Freedom to work from anywhere

There is **unparallel freedom** in working as a **freelancer**: you are **not bound at any particular location** while working. All you need is a **laptop** & an **internet connection** and you are golden.

As long as you can **deliver quality work on time**, nobody cares where you work.

So the next time you feel bored, you can pack your bags & head to **Bali** for **thrills with minimal bills**!

![bali](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/97cva6j1xrhscrkhpiny.jpeg)

### 3. Freedom to work any time

As a cherry on top of the **location freedom**, you also have **time freedom**: you get to **choose when you work** & **how long you work**!

Most clients would allow you to **work according to your schedule** as long as you deliver.

Regardless of whether you are a part of the **5 AM club** or the **5 PM club**, there is always something for you!

## Cons

Getting started with **freelancing** already? Hold your horses!

![hold-your-horses](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bypt6sdke9m5oe5axyak.gif)

It is NOT all rainbows and sunshine. Let's now explore the cons that come with **freelancing**!

### 1. With great money comes great responsibility

**Financial Education**

This is the most important **life skill**, which is taught in no school.

For example, since you don't have a company to replace your work laptop when it's damaged, you need to be prepared for such **unforeseen expenses**, as NOT replacing a malfunctioning laptop can potentially take you out of business.

Even though such expenses are expected to be rare, you never know when they would hit & can put a **significant dent in your finances**.

**Taxes**

**Rules of money** change when you cross a specific threshold as a business owner. While the threshold varies from country to country, in **India** it is **₹20L** (**₹2M**) & again at **₹50L** (**₹5M**).

Assuming you are NOT working as a professional **Chartered Accountant** or **Tax Attorney**, you will need to hire one to help you out with your taxes.

The last thing you want is being **slapped with a huge tax bill** at the end of the year, just because you didn't know how to do it correctly.

![slap](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uufh9jwkp8z8rjgfiu4z.gif)

### 2. You trade one boss for a platoon of bosses

**Being your own boss is a myth**. It is true that as a **freelancer**, you DO NOT have one single boss, but you are **answerable to each and every one of your clients**.

When things go south, there is NO ONE **holding your hand through the mess**. Mostly, you are expected to figure it out & come up with a solution on your own, which can be a tad overwhelming at times.

![angry-client](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gnhn4bws6b3bskz4o5hx.gif)

### 3. Office life gives you FOMO

This might be my personal experience, but never having worked at an office, I feel like I am **missing out on meeting people**, **making friends**, and **attending corporate events**.

As a **freelancer**, you have to **create your own opportunities to socialize**, regardless of whether you work at a co-working place or talk to random strangers on the street (which is quite unwelcome in quite a few pockets of the world).

You might be thinking, I am an **introvert** & don't care about **socializing**, but the 2020 pandemic must have shown you even if you identify yourself as one, you still **need to interact with people to remain sane**.

Even if you are offered multiple job opportunities, you can't take them on as they **do not make sense from a financial perspective**.

## Conclusion

So now we are down to the big question: **should you freelance**?

Well, even though my experience was mostly positive, I would encourage you to weigh the pros & cons and test out the **freelancing** waters.

One big caveat of **freelancing** is you absolutely must have a monetizable skill! Unless you can solve someone else's woes, nobody is going to pay you.

With that said, I wish you the best of luck if you want to try **freelancing**!!!

![best-of-luck](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/znzxg5x2aifru79wf4w8.jpg)

Have you ever tried **freelancing** before? Or are you planning to get started? Let me know in the comments below!

Finding **personal finance** too intimidating? Checkout my **Instagram** to become a [**Dollar Ninja**](https://www.instagram.com/the.dollar.ninja/)

# Thanks for reading

Need a **Top Rated Front-End Development Freelancer** to chop away your development woes? Contact me on [Upwork](https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~01c12e516ee1d35044/)

Want to see what I am working on? Check out my [Personal Website](https://tapajyoti-bose.vercel.app) and [GitHub](https://github.com/ruppysuppy)

Want to connect? Reach out to me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapajyoti-bose/)

Follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/tapajyotib/) to check out what I am up to recently.

Follow my blogs for **bi-weekly new Tidbits** on [Dev](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy)

**FAQ**

These are a few commonly asked questions I get. So, I hope this **FAQ** section solves your issues.

1. **I am a beginner, how should I learn Front-End Web Dev?**
   Look into the following articles:

   1. [Front End Development Roadmap](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy/front-end-developer-roadmap-zero-to-hero-4pkf)
   2. [Front End Project Ideas](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy/5-projects-to-master-front-end-development-57p)

2. **Would you mentor me?**
   Sorry, I am already under a lot of workload and would not have the time to mentor anyone.