I do now! :) I didn't when I started, in fact I owed a considerably chunk of money to my girlfriend and so priority number one was paying her back.
In terms of the lifestyle, I love it. I honest don't feel like I've "worked" in the conventional sense since I've been back.
There are a lot of things you have to deal with which are unexpected. Finishing a project and realising you might not see the people you've worked with again ( especially if they've been great people to work with) is depressing.
There are times when it can also be lonely. I'm fairly lucky in that I'm currently living with my parents and so there's normally someone around.
In the periods between finding work ( where technically you're unemployed ) it is easy to get depressed and wonder whether you're doing the right thing. Having something else to focus on at the same time, be it a side project, or indeed finding more work is a must.
The biggest benefit is the freedom. Yes I might have work to do, but I can ( for most clients ) do it from where ever I want to do it. If I need a break from the parents, no problem I move my office to the girlfriends for a week. If I want a change of scenery, no problem I just pack my laptop up and I'm good to go!
The second benefit is the amount you learn. I now a much greater understanding of business. Tax, VAT, National insurance, invoices, marketing, chasing payments and how companies operate.
Not to mention the technical benefits of freelancing. I've taught myself backbone.js worked with node.js. Played with Symfony, Silex entered ( and come second in ) coding competitions, taught myself some AWS basics. All things I probably wouldn't have had the ability to do if I was working for someone else.
All in all the last six months have definitely been a positive experience in my life!
It's great to get into the habit of saving some of your income ... not just to hedge against slow times but to build an emergency fund and nest-egg. The popular mantra of "pay yourself first" really works (and let's you run the rest of your life by the balance of your check-book).
"If I need a break from the parents"
Make sure your rate is high enough to provide you with independence too.
Comments
I do now! :) I didn't when I started, in fact I owed a considerably chunk of money to my girlfriend and so priority number one was paying her back.
In terms of the lifestyle, I love it. I honest don't feel like I've "worked" in the conventional sense since I've been back.
There are a lot of things you have to deal with which are unexpected. Finishing a project and realising you might not see the people you've worked with again ( especially if they've been great people to work with) is depressing.
There are times when it can also be lonely. I'm fairly lucky in that I'm currently living with my parents and so there's normally someone around.
In the periods between finding work ( where technically you're unemployed ) it is easy to get depressed and wonder whether you're doing the right thing. Having something else to focus on at the same time, be it a side project, or indeed finding more work is a must.
The biggest benefit is the freedom. Yes I might have work to do, but I can ( for most clients ) do it from where ever I want to do it. If I need a break from the parents, no problem I move my office to the girlfriends for a week. If I want a change of scenery, no problem I just pack my laptop up and I'm good to go!
The second benefit is the amount you learn. I now a much greater understanding of business. Tax, VAT, National insurance, invoices, marketing, chasing payments and how companies operate.
Not to mention the technical benefits of freelancing. I've taught myself backbone.js worked with node.js. Played with Symfony, Silex entered ( and come second in ) coding competitions, taught myself some AWS basics. All things I probably wouldn't have had the ability to do if I was working for someone else.
All in all the last six months have definitely been a positive experience in my life!
It's great to get into the habit of saving some of your income ... not just to hedge against slow times but to build an emergency fund and nest-egg. The popular mantra of "pay yourself first" really works (and let's you run the rest of your life by the balance of your check-book).
"If I need a break from the parents"
Make sure your rate is high enough to provide you with independence too.