The Perks and Downsides of Working Online {Freelance}

Nowadays, freelance work is becoming more and more popular. For those who are not familiar with freelance work, simply put, it's working online. Freelancers are individuals who are not committed for a long-period of time with an employer. Freelancers could be anybody - parents, students, professionals, you name it. There really isn't any qualification on who can and cannot be a freelancer. As long as you are capable to do the job that needs to get done, then you are good to go.

Online work has both its perks and downsides. As the saying goes, "You cannot have everything." If ever you are wondering whether or not to work online, then this might help you decide.

Let's start with the perks, shall we?

• Online work allows you to stay in the comforts of your home. If you are a single mom like me, you'll find this really a good option. I am very hands-on with my daughter. So, I like to work and be around her at the same time. Also means no transportation, saving you money. 
• Work anytime you want. Though, this not apply to every employer. But, most of the time, you can choose to work whenever you want, on the schedule and time you are available on, provided that you finish the tasks given. You can work on your spare time, just on weekends, whatever suits your schedule.
• You can have more than one employer. It does not matter how many employers you are working for, as long as you can handle the workload. Again, this depends as some employers require you to work full-time on the job. 
• You can quit the job easily. Unlike companies who require you to work for them for a certain number of months before you could resign and not have a bad record, freelance work allows you to resign whenever you need to. 
• You do not have to have a degree in college for you to be able to work. This is very much applicable for students who want to work part-time and don't want to commit fully to a company which could hinder them from studying.

And now, for the downsides.... 

• If it's your first time to look for a job online, you need an AWFUL lot of patience. It's tough to land a job and impress an employer you cannot see face to face. Unlike in a company where you are competing for a position with just a hundred or thousand people, with an online job, you are competing with millions of other people. It makes it more difficult when the other applicants have more experience working online already than you. 
• An employer an end the job any time they want. Since you have no long-term commitment, an employer can terminate your job any day, any time. This, I find, is the worst downside, because I could wake up with no job tomorrow, which is why I normally work for two employers always, to make sure I've got back-up when one lays me off. This could happen when an employer has nothing else for you to do or they've run out of budget to pay for your services. 
• You don't have medical or extra benefits like some company have. (Though oDesk have health benefits for those living in the states if I'm not mistake). We still have government organizations though that we could apply for, but definitely, the company won't have any extra benefits for you when you get sick or stuff like that. 

I may have missed out on some, but these are the few pros and cons I find when I work online. All I can say is you just have to be patient, and apply to as many jobs as you can. Start from the bottom, and work your way up. Chances are you'll find a really good employer that you can build a long-term relationship with. 

Good luck, and hope this helped in a way. ;)

Cheers!

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