Freelancing...your Parallel Career?
While
you still have a job, why not start a parallel career by freelancing and
aim towards the end goal of being your own boss (which is what changing
career the Parallel Career Way is all about)? Don't wait until you face
a midlife crisis or after you lost or quit your job.
Today,
literally millions of people
all over the world have established highly-successful freelance careers as
freelancing professionals. Many of these work-from-home
professionals have found that freelancing offers a dream lifestyle –
flexible working hours, free from bosses, total control, independence
and ‘good money’.
As
a freelancing professional you act as an expert or specialist in your
field on a project/contract basis. You’re an independent contractor or
some call you a Free Agent. You’re not on anyone’s payroll. You’re
self-employed. Your remuneration for each project/contract is based on a
fee.
The
type of projects available for freelancing professionals are as many
as there are job functions in the traditional workplace. These include
auditing, copywriting, research, text translation, creative and
commercial writing, quality assurance, forensic accounting, website
design and maintenance, medical law, graphical work, software
development, technical writing, data entry, research, training and
motivation, engineering design, raising equity funds and venture
capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, international law,
etc. etc.
First…You’ll
Have to Be Sure…
But
because
you’re still working for someone else, there’re pros and
cons in freelancing as a parallel career. Your current job will surely
provide you with some Assets (refresh
your memory about Assets & Skillset here>>>) BUT at the
same time you’ve to be sure that there’s no conflict of interest
with your employer.
| · |
Is
the freelance project for a client who is your employer’s
competitor?
|
| · |
Is
the nature of the project such that to undertake it, you’ll
have to disclose some of your employer’s proprietary
secrets? (These secrets could be sources of supplies,
technological know-how, formulas/recipes, product costing
calculations, or any information that gives your employer’s
company a competitive advantage in its industry/market).
|
Re-read
your employment contract thoroughly,
and if still in doubt, consult a lawyer. Paying fees for such legal
advice is money well spent.
The
Good Thing Today…
The
good thing about freelance project opportunities today is that most
likely you’ll be undertaking project work for a company too far
away to have any conflict with your local employer. Or the scope of
your project does not ‘threaten’ your employer at all.
For
example,
you live in Los Angeles and work for a medium-size accounting software
company twenty miles from your home. It’s very unlikely that there’s
a conflict of interest if you were to take on a programming project for
a company in Italy to develop an inventory management program. BUT
there’ll be a potential conflict if you undertake a freelance project
to develop an accounting software for a company not too far from LA (say
in San Diego) because this new accounting program may 'eat' into your
present employer’s product market share.
Another
example: You are the head of your company's quality assurance team.
You've a good working knowledge of the International Standards ISO9001.
There is no conflict of interest if you were to take on a freelancing
project to write the quality manual for another company nearby as long
as that company is not your employer's competitor.
Is
There Demand for Freelancing Professionals?
Yes..
Aye...Si...Ya! There are many reasons why companies need the expertise
of a freelancing professional:
| 1. |
There
is a sudden burst in business activity and the
company’s existing workforce cannot cope.
|
| 2. |
The
company has a one-off project (example: a takeover of
another company or production of a massive catalogue).
|
| 3. |
Deadlines
must be met.
|
| 4. |
The
company needs specialised skills not available within the
company. |
| 5. |
The
management cannot justify the long-term expense of
employing a full-time person. |
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What
Qualifications Do You Need?
What
qualifications DON’T you need? Generally, you don’t need to have any
special license, insurance, a company, an office or employees.
But
you DO need to be sure that
you will be able to do the project. Afterall, this is what
you’ll be paid for. Knowing your Assets and Skillset (refresh
your memory about Assets & Skillset here>>>) will give
you a good 'feel' of whether you can do the project.
You’ll
need to put together a profile or portfolio that is more convincing than
a resume. It needs to be more like a marketing presentation.
Remember there are others out there who can do the project as well.
Keep
in mind that there will be opportunities to secure future projects
with the same company. So it's worthwhile doing it right for the first
project.
The
Parallel Career Way
To
be a full-time freelancing professional, the biggest challenge is
finding enough work to justify giving up your full-time job. How can you
be sure that you will have enough work to pay all your bills?
The
Parallel Career Way makes it less stressful and risky because you start
developing your freelancing career while you still have a job.
And thanks to the Internet, things are now much easier.
How
Do You Start?
Today…there
are many job sites dedicated to freelance work. It’s free to
register as a member in some sites while others may charge you a fee.
You may encounter lots of competition in those free-for-all sites while
the paid sites give you a degree of exclusivity. It’s your choice. Be
a member at several sites to increase your chances of getting projects.
