Is Freelance Work Right For You? Decisions, Decisions...

So you decide to go to University. Then you decide which University. Then you look at all

the different types of programs, and finally settle on one. 

Communications. After all, you have a penchant for words, a love for writing and copious amounts of creativity. The choice feels like a no-brainer. 

And just think of all the career opportunities. There's corporate communications, media relations or community relations. You could do copywriting, screenwriting or technical writing. The list goes on and on. 

And you thought the difficult choices were over. Silly you.

So it's back to the drawing board to make more decisions. What exactly do you want to do with your communications degree? Don't worry, it's just your future we're talking about here. No pressure. I'll wait here for you.


Done yet? 
No? Take your time.


So after some deep soul-searching and perhaps a little self-doubt and hair loss (don't worry, that's common) you have settled on a more specific career path. Let's use editing as an example.

You love the idea of crafting words into a perfectly polished form. You revel at the thought of a beautifully written manuscript that was possible because of your talent with grammar and mechanics. 

Congrats! You've started your beautiful journey into the world of words. And rewriting of words. And then rewriting those words again. And then again after that. 

So now that you decided that editing is your calling, there's still a few more important decisions that need be made. One last choice before heading into the professional world is much the same in many areas of communications, and that is the choice between freelance or in-house work.

Maybe you start to think that freelance is the direction you want to go. But your still unsure of the logistics of it all. 

Let's break down the pros and cons of freelancing and hopefully give you a better idea and see if it would be the best fit for you. 

Pros

Flexible schedule 
Working as a freelance editor allows you to dictate your own hours and work at your own pace. This could be especially important for people with young children or other time-consuming commitments. 

Can work from home
Working from home has lots of perks. No travel time, no parking expenses and possibly less car maintenance costs. And yes, you could work in your pajamas if you really want to. 

Setting your own rates
While getting established as a freelancer may take some time, it gives you the opportunity to constantly work and improve your skills. And as you improve, you have the privilege of setting your own rates based on your quality of work and what you think your skills are worth.

Choice of Clients 

This one may go unrealized at first, but it's a biggie. Working as a freelancer affords you the opportunity to work with the people you want and on the projects of your choosing. When you first start out you may not be able to afford or want to turn down any job, but as you get more established you may be able to pass on high-maintenance clients or less desirable projects. 

Networking opportunities 
Working as a freelancer means constant connection with various clients across all areas of the business. These type of connections could come in handy if you ever wanted to branch out into other areas of the industry. Perhaps you will meet a future employer or coworker through your freelance work. Marketing yourself through networking can lead to so many other things. So it's important to keep it a priority. 

Cons

No guarantee of work 
This one might go without saying, but with any freelance job, you can never be sure if there will always be work. Again, getting established can be the tough part. So starting out may be difficult, but the hope is that once you get a few opportunities, things will snowball from there. But you have to be prepared for times of little work, and in turn, little income.


Long hours
While one pro that was mentioned was the fact that a freelancer can dictate their own hours, this isn't to say that they won't be long hours. A freelance editor must be prepared to meet numerous deadlines, and this might mean burning the midnight oil on certain projects if necessary. 

Lack of Benefits
One huge plus of working for an employer is the possibility of benefits. So this means that as a freelancer, one may miss out on these benefits. Things like healthcare or dental care can cost thousands of dollars a year, and a freelance worker must be prepared to foot the bill for any of these costs or alternate coverage plans. 


Getting clients / Getting Established
The idea of getting established has popped up a few times already, and that's because it's so necessary to the success of any freelance worker. You must be constantly promoting yourself to gain and maintain a solid client base. In addition to your actual editing workload, marketing yourself and your talents is a job all on its own. So you must be prepared for the double duty of self-branding and promotion.

So as you can see, deciding to work in communications is really just the beginning of your tale. But if you get to the point where you are truly considering taking a stab at the freelance world, as an editor or otherwise, it's important to consider both sides of the coin. It is the hope that this list will flesh out some of the finer details and help make the decision process a little easier. After all, we could all use a little help in making those big life choices. 

The Importance of Business Cards

The business card is a way of saying hello, remember me, and so much more. Today, it seems like everyone from your kid sister's babysitting business to the ubiquitous "mommy blogger" has his or her own business card. But business cards have a long and varied history that extends long before the term "blog" even existed. Once part of a formal royal visitation in 15th Century China according to this infographic from MOO Inc., a printing company, business cards now have many, many different uses and purposes.

Infographic Courtesy of Moo

But are business cards something you really need as you enter the workforce? It's common knowledge that a well-written resumé and cover letter are essential if you want to get a job. A diverse portfolio certainly doesn't hurt, either. But where do business cards fit in all of this? There has to be a reason they've been in use for hundreds of years, but what purpose do they serve now? And should students, especially, be forking over money for these ephemeral objects that are then going to be given away for free?

What it really comes down to is memorability and branding. A business card acts as a personal ambassador. It makes you look good; it provides your information in a quick, easy-to-access way; and it represents you when you're not there. A business card makes it easy for you, instead of the 50+ other applicants, to be remembered. While it is true a resumé, cover letter, and portfolio do the same thing, none of those objects fit into a pocket or a wallet.

Carrying around copies of your resumé is simply impractical. You really never know when an opportunity will present itself, and business cards allow you to always be prepared. Imagine sitting next to someone on a plane who casually mentions that his or her company has a job opening that is basically your dream job. If you have a business card you can hand to him or her, before it's even read that business card is already doing its job of making you look good. Writing your contact information down on a scrap piece of paper or pulling a crumpled resumé out of a bag just doesn't have the same professional impact.

Image Courtesy of MOO Inc. 

Business cards do more than represent you, though; they also create relationships. It is rare for the offer of a business card not to be reciprocated. All of a sudden, a job interview becomes a networking opportunity. Even if you don't get the job, you know that whoever interviewed you, personally, has your information and he or she felt you were important enough to get his or hers in return. That person you sat next to on a plane? He or she is probably going to offer you a business card in exchange for your own. That dream job is even more of a reality.

The relationships that business cards can help foster are not all professional. Even if the person sitting next to you on a plane doesn't have a job opening at his or her company, you may still want to stay in contact. In Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic Little House on the Prairie book series, business cards are simply "name cards" and are given to friends and potential suitors. Just because the name of the card has changed doesn't mean it can't be used in the same way.

Image Courtesy of The Design Inspiration

Business cards, as their history has proven, are extremely versatile. They don't have to be a standard size or shape. They can be fun, functional, and even truly artistic.  And despite the increasing digitization of so much print material, business cards seem to have found an existence that straddles digital and physical.

Image Courtesy of Juke Box Print

Business cards can now have QR (Quick Response) codes that, when scanned by a smart phone camera, will open a specified website. Most business cards list an email or an email and a website, and some print companies are even looking into NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled business cards that contain a small microchip. When tapped to a smartphone, these cards tell the phone to download information, open a webpage, save a photo, or any number of simple tasks.

QR Code

All these new technologies have essentially ensured the business card's survival as the world becomes more and more digital. Unfortunately, there's no getting around that business cards do cost money, but that doesn't mean there aren't options for those who can't afford to spend a hundred dollars on something they're going to give away. Moo offers a 20% student discount, and VistaPrint will print a run of 25 cards for under 5 dollars. And never overlook the option of printing them yourself. Many stationary supply stores like Staples sell pre-perforated business card printer packs that allow you to print business cards with any standard home printer.