<div>Money might appear to be the ruling factor in the world at large. <span>But we also live in a free-thinking world, where not everybody dreams of having </span><span>a nine-to-five job in a fancy company that neatly sends paychecks to one’s account every month. </span><div><span><br />Freelancing is becoming a rather feasible option and popular choice, especially for those in the creative field. <br /><br /></span></div><div>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 ]<span>satisfaction. <br /><br /></span></div><div>Suresh Chenji, who has been a freelancing graphic and web designer for the last one year, compares the <span>experience to a regular job. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I was working in Wipro f<span>or a few years before I </span><span>started freelancing last year. And I must admit that it’s </span><span>the most feasible and satisfying job I’ve had. I’ve become </span><span>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. |<br /><br /></span></div><div>He adds, “I thought that <span>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 </span></div><div>projects.”<br /><br /></div><div>He feels that freelancing i<span>n Bangalore is especially </span><span>easy because of the number </span><span>of start-ups around. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I get most of my business from those companies as <span>they don’t have much of web presence and need websites, logos and brochures that I </span><span>can design. Also, since most </span><span>of the work is to be submitted online other than client </span><span>meetings, all I need is a laptop and internet. This allows me to work from anywhere!” </span><span>adds Suresh.<br /><br /></span></div><div>Sreejita Biswas, who takes on writing, social media <span>marketing, illustration and photography projects on a freelance basis, has decided </span><span>to pursue it full time now.<br /> </span></div><div>She admits that while the pay was terrible when she started, it’s surprisingly enough now. </div><div><br />“For me, the best part <span>about freelancing is that you don’t have to spend time in </span><span>office. I generally work four hours a day and get the rest of the day to myself,” she says. <br /><br /></span></div><div>However, she adds that the payment and certainty of income is where it gets tricky. <br /></div><div><br />“You need to be very careful about that as most Indians don’t like to pay freelancers!” confesses Sreejita.<br /><br /></div><div>However, some feel that freelancing jobs don’t look great on the resume. </div><div><br />“A lot of companies don’t seem to value freelancing <span>and some wouldn’t even </span><span>count it as legit work experience. But I feel that that i</span><span>s also because the term ‘freelancing’ is often misused,” opines Praveen </span><span>Innocent, who has been a </span><span>freelance web designer for four years. <br /><br /></span></div><div>He recalls that he started getting projects when he <span>was still studying in college, following which more offers kept flowing in. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I realised that there was <span>a lot of demand for freelancers and that it was my choice to pick projects that </span><span>I found interesting. Sure, it isn’t a secure job in the conventional sense. But I </span></div><div>prefer it to the usual ones <span>because I have more control and it’s a learning opportunity. It prevents me from dealing with company-specific </span><span>policies and restrictions,” </span><span>he sums up. </span></div><div><br /></div></div>
<div>Money might appear to be the ruling factor in the world at large. <span>But we also live in a free-thinking world, where not everybody dreams of having </span><span>a nine-to-five job in a fancy company that neatly sends paychecks to one’s account every month. </span><div><span><br />Freelancing is becoming a rather feasible option and popular choice, especially for those in the creative field. <br /><br /></span></div><div>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 ]<span>satisfaction. <br /><br /></span></div><div>Suresh Chenji, who has been a freelancing graphic and web designer for the last one year, compares the <span>experience to a regular job. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I was working in Wipro f<span>or a few years before I </span><span>started freelancing last year. And I must admit that it’s </span><span>the most feasible and satisfying job I’ve had. I’ve become </span><span>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. |<br /><br /></span></div><div>He adds, “I thought that <span>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 </span></div><div>projects.”<br /><br /></div><div>He feels that freelancing i<span>n Bangalore is especially </span><span>easy because of the number </span><span>of start-ups around. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I get most of my business from those companies as <span>they don’t have much of web presence and need websites, logos and brochures that I </span><span>can design. Also, since most </span><span>of the work is to be submitted online other than client </span><span>meetings, all I need is a laptop and internet. This allows me to work from anywhere!” </span><span>adds Suresh.<br /><br /></span></div><div>Sreejita Biswas, who takes on writing, social media <span>marketing, illustration and photography projects on a freelance basis, has decided </span><span>to pursue it full time now.<br /> </span></div><div>She admits that while the pay was terrible when she started, it’s surprisingly enough now. </div><div><br />“For me, the best part <span>about freelancing is that you don’t have to spend time in </span><span>office. I generally work four hours a day and get the rest of the day to myself,” she says. <br /><br /></span></div><div>However, she adds that the payment and certainty of income is where it gets tricky. <br /></div><div><br />“You need to be very careful about that as most Indians don’t like to pay freelancers!” confesses Sreejita.<br /><br /></div><div>However, some feel that freelancing jobs don’t look great on the resume. </div><div><br />“A lot of companies don’t seem to value freelancing <span>and some wouldn’t even </span><span>count it as legit work experience. But I feel that that i</span><span>s also because the term ‘freelancing’ is often misused,” opines Praveen </span><span>Innocent, who has been a </span><span>freelance web designer for four years. <br /><br /></span></div><div>He recalls that he started getting projects when he <span>was still studying in college, following which more offers kept flowing in. <br /><br /></span></div><div>“I realised that there was <span>a lot of demand for freelancers and that it was my choice to pick projects that </span><span>I found interesting. Sure, it isn’t a secure job in the conventional sense. But I </span></div><div>prefer it to the usual ones <span>because I have more control and it’s a learning opportunity. It prevents me from dealing with company-specific </span><span>policies and restrictions,” </span><span>he sums up. </span></div><div><br /></div></div>