| Các trang trong chủ đề: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you think freelancers are generally happier than other types of professional? Người gửi thông tin lên tuyến đoạn: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think freelancers are generally happier than other types of professional?".
View the poll results »
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I’m not happier now than I was when I was working in-house. I have more freedom for sure but that does not equate to happiness. The freelancing lifestyle certainly has its appeal, especially when things are looking good, but knowing that you will have a salary at the end of the month no matter what had also its appeal…
| | | | Bora Taşdemir 
Local time: 13:53
Thành viên kể từ 2012
English to Turkish
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| Yes! Yes! Yes! | Aug 8, 2018 |
There are of corse pros and cons, but as a freelancer, the biggest advantage is that you don't really have a boss and you can just go and run errands whenever you want! All you need to do is to inform the clients beforehand. On the other hand, the people working in offices barely have time to do something extra. Being a freelancer is like a gift! I feel myself privileged all the time!
| | | | Catherine De Crignis (X)
Pháp
Local time: 11:53
Thành viên kể từ 2012
English to French
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| Je ne sais pas | Aug 8, 2018 |
I don’t know and don’t need to know either, quite frankly.
The question is way too general, in my view. One way to get somewhere with this would be to ask, say 1.000 freelancers in one single country.
Then again it would make sense to not mix all types of freelancers (I don’t mean this in a bitter way, but what has your high-profile neurosurgeon or lawyer got to do with a translator or a cobbler, for instance?).
My other point is that those who choose freela... See more I don’t know and don’t need to know either, quite frankly.
The question is way too general, in my view. One way to get somewhere with this would be to ask, say 1.000 freelancers in one single country.
Then again it would make sense to not mix all types of freelancers (I don’t mean this in a bitter way, but what has your high-profile neurosurgeon or lawyer got to do with a translator or a cobbler, for instance?).
My other point is that those who choose freelancing tend to be different to start with from those who choose employment. So there would be another bias.
Depending on the country, it would also make sense to account for the fact that, due to high unemployment, freelancing may not really be a chosen path, but rather the only way to make a living.
Like Teresa hinted, personally I don’t miss employment, but not always knowing where your next tenner is going to come from isn’t necessarily that comfortable.
[Edited at 2018-08-08 10:57 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Angus Stewart
Vương Quốc Anh
Local time: 10:53
French to English
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At first I hated during the phase when I was getting my business up and running, as I missed the security of a regular salary, the camaraderie of my colleagues in the office and the fact that I no longer got to see my customers as real people whom I met face to face. However, the profession I left behind has changed beyond recognition and the reasons which attracted me to it in the first place would now no longer apply. There has also been a drive towards greater specialisation and one of things... See more At first I hated during the phase when I was getting my business up and running, as I missed the security of a regular salary, the camaraderie of my colleagues in the office and the fact that I no longer got to see my customers as real people whom I met face to face. However, the profession I left behind has changed beyond recognition and the reasons which attracted me to it in the first place would now no longer apply. There has also been a drive towards greater specialisation and one of things which I had previously enjoyed was the variety of the work.
Since, I have become established as a freelancer I love the freedom it gives me and I can now fit my work around my private life rather than the other way round. I can pick and chose the work and clients I take on to do more of what I enjoy whereas before I had to take what I was given. I am also now able to study at University part time alongside working, which wouldn't be possible if I was in a regular job as I wouldn't be able to leave the office on time. I can take holidays and time off when it suits me without having to ask anyone's permission. I also do not have to stick to the rigid 9-5 Monday to Friday routine and am free to have Facebook and other websites running in the background whilst I work which would not be possible in a traditional office. ▲ Collapse
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My impression from ProZ and elsewhere is that while freelancers revel in the extra freedoms they also struggle with the added stresses.
| | | | Axelle H.
Pháp
Local time: 11:53
Thành viên kể từ 2017
English to French
| Strange question .. | Aug 8, 2018 |
If you like what you do, you are happy..
My plumber loves his job, my accountant too ..It's not comparable.
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I can only speak for myself, but I lived the life of an employee for more than 25 years, and now that I am self-employed, I am definitely happier, if only because I don't need an alarm clock any more. This is so cool!
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Kay Denney
Pháp
Local time: 11:53
French to English
I like being able to organise my own time, taking three hours off at lunchtime to go swimming then have a late lunch, for example.
I don't like quiet patches. If I knew that I wouldn't get any work all week, I'd take the time to work on a sewing project. If I think something will be come in any minute, it's not worth starting on a project. If you have to stop half-way through, it can be really hard to come back to it.
I love no longer having a boss ordering me about.
I still... See more I like being able to organise my own time, taking three hours off at lunchtime to go swimming then have a late lunch, for example.
I don't like quiet patches. If I knew that I wouldn't get any work all week, I'd take the time to work on a sewing project. If I think something will be come in any minute, it's not worth starting on a project. If you have to stop half-way through, it can be really hard to come back to it.
I love no longer having a boss ordering me about.
I still desperately miss having colleagues. I was especially lucky in the last few years of employment, working with several really nice people who I still socialise with, but occasional drinks or a dinner party are not the same as seeing someone every single day for lunch.
People have suggested co-working cafés but it still wouldn't be the same, there wouldn't be any sense of colleague solidarity. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Richard Jenkins
Braxin
Local time: 07:53
Thành viên kể từ 2006
Portuguese to English
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| Yes, I think so. | Aug 8, 2018 |
It's been nigh on fifteen years now, so it's a little bit difficult to ascertain if I was happier 'then' than I am now, but I think I am happier, yes.
We're not funneled into a specific working routine that so many professionals have to adhere to, which really suits me, but for all that, I have never felt entirely comfortable with the financial aspect of being a freelancer and the insecurity I always feel because of that.
Remember that happiness stems from other aspects... See more It's been nigh on fifteen years now, so it's a little bit difficult to ascertain if I was happier 'then' than I am now, but I think I am happier, yes.
We're not funneled into a specific working routine that so many professionals have to adhere to, which really suits me, but for all that, I have never felt entirely comfortable with the financial aspect of being a freelancer and the insecurity I always feel because of that.
Remember that happiness stems from other aspects of life too, such as having good health and loved ones around you. Fortunately, I have both at the moment. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mê hi cô
Local time: 04:53
Thành viên kể từ 2006
English to Spanish
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Happiness can be found in other fields and kinds of jobs too.
Certainly, I love translation and its related freelance feature because that gives us freedom, but we're not .the only happy freelancers
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Being a freelancer should not be the only factor. There really are dozens of other factors which may make people happy or unhappy.
However, generally speaking being a freelancer may give you more time, freedom and flexibility of life. And that may be considered one plus thing, which may lead to being happy.
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Mario Freitas
Braxin
Local time: 07:53
Thành viên kể từ 2014
English to Portuguese
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Not only I think so, I'm absolutely sure.
I was an "other type" for 20 years. There is no comparison at all.
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos
Hoa Kỳ
Local time: 02:53
Thành viên kể từ 2003
Spanish to English
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My quality of life changed dramatically when I left my full-time translation job and started freelancing. My life has been enriched in more ways than I can count.
While I miss everyday contact with colleagues, we still stay in touch and I have met many new cyberfriends on ProZ. My circle of friends is much wider now because I engage in so many more activities: classes, volunteering, social groups, meeting neighbors and other folks when I get outside at more different times in the da... See more My quality of life changed dramatically when I left my full-time translation job and started freelancing. My life has been enriched in more ways than I can count.
While I miss everyday contact with colleagues, we still stay in touch and I have met many new cyberfriends on ProZ. My circle of friends is much wider now because I engage in so many more activities: classes, volunteering, social groups, meeting neighbors and other folks when I get outside at more different times in the day.
[Edited at 2018-08-09 07:12 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Vera Schoen
Sweden
Local time: 11:53
Thành viên kể từ 2008
German to Swedish
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| No, not at all | Aug 9, 2018 |
Being a freelancer suits me very well, and I would not want to have it any other way.
Having said that, I have many friends who couldn’t imagine a workday with no colleagues, lunchbreaks with nice conversation and the regular, reliable pay check.
What suits me doesn’t necessarily have to suit others.
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