Being their own boss

Rohini Kejriwal, April 21, 2014, DHNS:,

Apr 20 2014, 19:31 ist
updated: Apr 20 2014, 19:31 ist

Money might appear to be the ruling factor in the world at large. But we also live in a free-thinking world, where not everybody dreams of having a nine-to-five job in a fancy company that neatly sends paychecks to one’s account every month.

Freelancing is becoming a rather feasible option and popular choice, especially for those in the creative field.

According to freelancers, flexible work hours, income based on one’s portfolio and the option of picking only projects that interest them leads to increased job ]satisfaction.

Suresh Chenji, who has been a freelancing graphic and web designer for the last one year, compares the experience to a regular job.

“I was working in Wipro for a few years before I started freelancing last year. And I must admit that it’s the most feasible and satisfying job I’ve had. I’ve become more confident because I’m my own boss and it’s giving me a chance to understand my own capabilities and gauge where I stand in the market,” he says. |

He adds, “I thought that it would be difficult entering this market and even kept a budget for promoting myself. But I didn’t have to use that because it’s easy to get

projects.”

He feels that freelancing in Bangalore is especially easy because of the number of start-ups around.

“I get most of my business from those companies as they don’t have much of web presence and need websites, logos and brochures that I can design. Also, since most of the work is to be submitted online other than client meetings, all I need is a laptop and internet. This allows me to work from anywhere!” adds Suresh.

Sreejita Biswas, who takes on writing, social media marketing, illustration and photography projects on a freelance basis, has decided to pursue it full time now.

She admits that while the pay was terrible when she started, it’s surprisingly enough now.

“For me, the best part about freelancing is that you don’t have to spend time in office. I generally work four hours a day and get the rest of the day to myself,” she says.

However, she adds that the payment and certainty of income is where it gets tricky.

“You need to be very careful about that as most Indians don’t like to pay freelancers!” confesses Sreejita.

However, some feel that freelancing jobs don’t look great on the resume.

“A lot of companies don’t seem to value freelancing and some wouldn’t even count it as legit work experience. But I feel that that is also because the term ‘freelancing’ is often misused,” opines Praveen Innocent, who has been a freelance web designer for four years.

He recalls that he started getting projects when he was still studying in college, following which more offers kept flowing in.

“I realised that there was a lot of demand for freelancers and that it was my choice to pick projects that I found interesting. Sure, it isn’t a secure job in the conventional sense. But I

prefer it to the usual ones because I have more control and it’s a learning opportunity. It prevents me from dealing with company-specific policies and restrictions,” he sums up.

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