Is Freelancing For You?

Is Freelancing (or Problogging) Right for Me?

Nov 6, 2009

I keep on getting emails and even get to chat with a few online friends that they want to make a big career change move: quit to job then go to freelancing or problogging (bloggers earning income from blogs such as blog advertisements).

One email I got said that she is planning to quit her job and just go freelancing. She plans to start building work history right after she resigned from her job. She could not explore freelancing while she is employed because the job takes a lot of her time.

I’ve got so many old friends who were suddenly interested on how I earn online these days (both from freelancing and blogging). If they happen to be skilled in Information Technology, writing or even both, then they can be able to get online freelance jobs successfully. Those who are interested in earning from blogs need to improve their writing skills and eventually move to learn SEO. However, their interests were short-lived even if they wanted to learn the ropes.

I helped two friends start their own blogs to earn from them. After that one session, they were not able to update it as often as they should. They were just too busy with the day jobs.

To be successful in this venture, people need to be able to honestly answer these questions:

Can I afford to quit my current job?
Do you have the right skills and experience to go into freelancing?
Am I able to learn new skills quickly with my own resources?
Is there a huge demand for my skills and experience?
Can I have a social life at home with online friends all around me most of the time?
Am I a master of my own time?
Do I have the nose for new income opportunities?
Do I tend to decide just early enough to get started?
Do I tend to be a bit ahead before everyone gets to discover the awesomeness of a good opportunity?
Am I thinking about making the preparations for freelancing or problogging over several weeks?

All the questions are essential to the success of a freelancer, but I’ve bolded the most important ones. If you can say yes to most (not necessarily all) of the questions above, then you may be a good fit for freelancing.

Freelancing and problogging always give better returns compared to regular salaried jobs to those play the cards right.

For neophyte freelancers, I’ve always recommended that they learn the ways on how to talk, communicate and negotiate with other people and think the business way. For aspiring probloggers, they just need to start out their own free blogs in Blogger (not WordPress.com – it is a platform that does not let you post advertisements in their blogs) then watch and see over time whether they blogging is for them or not before they waste their time, effort and money on things that may probably not work out for them (talking about perception and persistence!).

Posted by Gem | Categories: Blogging, Freelancing | Tagged: is freelancing good |

Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to the full RSS Feed

Share with others

15 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

Mighty
November 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am #

Well-written Gem. Online freelancing is capturing buzz wherever. What people don’t realize is that “full-time freelancing” is a misnomer. At first, you really have to work harder than at a regular day job because of the uncertainties and the difficulties of starting a freelancing career. I used to be a “full time” online freelancer. But the demand of a steady income pulled me back to a good day job, which I love now. heheh.
Rob Angeles
November 6th, 2009 at 8:59 am #

“Am I thinking about making the preparations for freelancing or problogging over several weeks?”

Personally, I would consider this as the number 1 thing I should be thinking. Some think that earning and creating a business online is easy and end up getting nowhere.

Having a solid plan works well and keep in my that goals change while you’re doing things.

To tell you frankly, I’ve been monitoring my blog lines and proud that I have a large number of blog subscriptions. 75% of them are not updating anymore.

So, to those who are thinking of following Gem’s path, I suggest you listen first to your targeted audience before jumping. It would help.
Roy
November 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am #

I am worried about the one who said she can only explore freelancing once she quits her job.

Just like getting into business, I believe it is a must that you must establish yourself first before quitting your day job.

nice set of questions Gem, I think I can’t even answer most them lol
madz
November 6th, 2009 at 4:39 pm #

Currently, I am earning from my blogs only $200 per quarter. But it is already an achievement for me as I have my day job. However, it already sink in to my senses that I wanted to be a freelance programmer. I am a PowerBuilder programmer. And I really wanted to do freelance programming. Any chance that you coudl help me?
.-= madzÂ´s last blog ..Love Notes =-.
cor
November 6th, 2009 at 5:10 pm #

Hi gem, this is a very helpful article for me. I’ve considered earning from blogging too but I still have to learn a lot. I really need time for learning the technical side of everything. But the upside is that I enjoy spending time on the web.
.-= corÂ´s last blog ..Beautiful Sunset Over at Zamboanga del Norte =-.
Calvin
November 6th, 2009 at 7:35 pm #

can’t give up my day job for a problogging thing. mababa lang kinikita ko sa blog although i enjoy the perks.
.-= CalvinÂ´s last blog ..We got our Chinese visa! =-.
Kelvin Servigon
November 6th, 2009 at 9:49 pm #

This is not the right time for me to go problogging (or the full-time blogging) because I’m still a student. LOL. But I guess, with my studies, I can still do some blog stuffs, but of course, always “study first”.
.-= Kelvin ServigonÂ´s last blog ..Direct Sat TV Offers The Best! =-.
DiTesco
November 7th, 2009 at 6:48 am #

I agree to everything you said here. However, great caution should be taken with #1 on your list, particularly if you are just beginning your online career. Day job may suck, I know and not rewarding enough, but there is the matter of fixed income that flows in on a monthly basis. This can not be replaced by anyone immediately with an online career. There is a lot to build first as you are going to face so much competition which in the end is why many fail. Obviously, once you are set, and having a decent flow of income, then maybe it is time to quit that job.
.-= DiTescoÂ´s last blog ..Amazon’s Make Money With Twitter Program =-.
Bobby
November 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm #

Hi Gem

It’s been a long time! Could you still remember me? This is Bobby from Baguio..I’ve been an avid reader of your blog..I’ve been away for too long so I have a lot to catch up..

Good advice Gem and nice set of questions (most of my answers were “yes”)

I’m also doing freelance as of now but not into blogging but more into online teaching. That’s the reason why I can’t update my blog frequently.

More Power!
Heather Kephart
November 11th, 2009 at 10:47 pm #

Great article, Gem! “Is there a demand for my skills and experience?” That’s a big one for me. In the real world yes, it was easy for me to find employment based upon my specific experience. But that experience does not translate to online.

My blog is a personal one and I have family and friends following. But if I want to take it to the next level, I need to start thinking about things that happen to me on a daily basis and whether or not they will be helpful to other people.
.-= Heather KephartÂ´s last blog ..Comment on Guest Post: Cindy the Facebook Bat Lady by Dawn =-.
Jhong Medina
November 14th, 2009 at 12:15 pm #

You got a pretty serious post here Gem. I agree with DiTesco about item number 1. Before jumping to be a freelancer or a problogger make sure that you have established your market or your audience first. Making money online can be rewarding but you’ll need to have patience and perseverance with this kind of business. It may take months for you to reap your investments or even years. Don’t get suck by those advertisement “I’m earning $200 a day”, like any other business… having this online business can be a 50/50 gamble.
.-= Jhong MedinaÂ´s last blog ..Twitter Retweet Button (Beta) =-.
Jena Isle
November 14th, 2009 at 8:34 pm #

So freelancing and problogging really earns for you. This is because you’re in the IT business and there’s a big demand for it. Congrats, I earn a few bucks too but I’m just a small fry in this world of HTML and XML and I’m glad I’m even earning from the internet.

Very informative post. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Jena IsleÂ´s last blog ..WOOF Contest â€“ Top Picks for November 6, 2009 =-.
Race
November 15th, 2009 at 10:44 pm #

I agree with Roy and DiTesco you must establish yourself first before quitting your job. I’ve been blogging for two years before I finally decided to quit my job. Though my employer tried to offer me part-time job or consultancy I decided to make blogging my full-time job because I can work at home, manage my household and look after my kids. I’ve been earning more than my office salary then so I ended my neverending extension with my employer, I beg actually for my boss to let me go lol! I asked for a separation pay and started my full-time blogging. It’s a well-compensated job if you really put your heart and all your efforts in it. Just remember to save some of your earnings because it’s not as stable as a regular job!
.-= RaceÂ´s last blog ..My Travel Horoscope =-.
Sire
November 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm #

Having a family and all I doubt very much that I would quit a secure job to tackle something that may or may not turn out. I see no reason why, given that one had the commitment, that someone could not do both for a time just to see whether it was worth taking the chance.

Also I would suggest to those that would even consider quitting their job and trying out freelance or problogging that they have a reserve of cash on hand to live off, because it would take some time before any significant amount of money was forthcoming.
.-= SireÂ´s last blog ..Comments, The Lifeblood Of A Blog =-.
betchai
December 17th, 2010 at 1:11 pm #

Hi Gem, it has been a long time since I left a comment here, maybe because for a while there was a long period you did not update this. Anyway, I am a happy blogger, I blog only once a week and do not spend as much time there as I do killing time in Facebook whenever I am home, but my blog brings me decent secondary income, of course not as much as my primary income in my full time job, but considering the very little amount of time i spent there and the income it brings, I wonder why so many spends (or wastes ) so much time chatting away in social networking and then complain about now having money, when they can use the time they spend a lot online to earn something.