Have you ever thought of quitting your regular job and do home-based instead? Do you think working from home is a lot better and easier than working as a regular employee? If that's a double YES, then this article is for you.
We all know that most of us have/had a taste of working from home because of this pandemic. Many are happy for sure, but I know some who are not. And as much as I want to believe it, working from home isn't always a "sugar and spice, and everything nice" setup. They, too, have disadvantages, as well as advantages, and that's what I'm going to share with you all today.
This article is just to share with you all my opinions based on my own experience. In case you didn't know, I work as a freelancer. I've been working as a full-time freelancer since last year after quitting my job of over nine years, and to be honest, that was one of the best decisions I've made so far.
After years of deliberation, I made the riskiest yet fulfilling decision in my life. And if you're planning to do the same but not sure if it's the right thing to do, then keep reading to learn more.
So, here are the pros and cons of working from home:
Pros
Hassle-free. Working in a regular job in a big city can be stressful. In fact, this was one of the main reasons why I resigned. As a person with a disability, working in a regular job is NEVER easy. The everyday traffic, sudden changes of weather, transportation, being in crowded places, and the possibility of getting robbed was a lot to take. Although I did manage, (again) it was never easy. I barely survived.
But working from home is quite the opposite. Now, I don't have to deal with those anymore.
Fewer rules. Let's face the fact that working on a regular job has a lot of house rules, such as no eating, no sleeping, no gadgets, no over breaks, and no idle time during working hours. Plus, no late and absences of more than two days in just a month or you will be summoned.
Honestly, I did all these things before. I was even summoned to the HR office due to sleeping. My TL caught me one time and after a few weeks from that, I had to make a written explanation and explained myself to HR about it.
There was also a time when I was no longer allowed to be late for six months. That was the worst coz I had no phone at that time, no alarm clock, and I only relied on my body clock. However, I survived!
And if you're working from home, you don't have to worry about this stuff. You can do whatever you want, except that you are not allowed to open other tabs while working, avoid idle time while your time tracker is on, and be productive.
Better pay. When it comes to earnings, doing a freelance job pays more. Although your rate varies, depending on your skills, job success score, and the client itself.
Helps you grow more. Working as a freelancer also allows you to grow and learn new things in a short time. If you want to stay in the business, you need to learn at least one or two skills to have other menus to offer to the clients.
Looks not needed. You don't have to look presentable all the time unless a video call is needed. Other than that, you're good.
More family time. Here's another reason why I quit my job. I got tired of not seeing them for months, especially my furry baby. It hurts me seeing my nieces and nephew's begging for me to stay, or my Kiah barking so hard because she doesn't want me to leave. So last year, after spending my 2 weeks holiday in my hometown, I decided to resign, and that was the best decision I've made so far.
Cons
Stable internet connection. A stable connection makes you and your client happy.
Must have at least one skill. It's not enough that you can type 70wpm. You also need to have something more to offer to the client. Remember, there will be thousands of freelancers all over the globe, so it's not enough to only have the basics.
Boring. Whether you watch a movie using your phone or another device or listen to your favorite music nonstop, working from home is effin boring.
It was okay at first but as days went by, it felt so lonely. I miss having my friends around. We used to talk a lot while working as it was our way to stay alive, especially during the graveyard shift. We shared jokes, the debate over something, shared snacks, and made fun with each other. Yeah, those are things that I really missed.
Lots of temptations. You'll be tempted to watch movies, play online games or mobile games, or do other stuff while doing your work, which gives you a hard time to finish your weekly limit. Eating is also going to be your favorite thing to do, which is not good for those who are on a diet.
Noisy kiddos and furry babies. Unfortunately, home isn't always the best place to work, especially if you have kids and dogs at the same time. In my case, I couldn't fully concentrate with my work because the kiddos would knock on the door just to tell you how funny or sad the movie was, or my furry baby barking coz she wanted to pee or go out with them.
Overall, working from home is better than going to a regular job. Although it has ups and downs, rest assured that there are more ups than downs here.
Anyway, I hope you'll find this article useful. And if you want to give it a try, Upwork is the best!
**All photos are free images from 1Pixabay.
Great article