Can Freelancers Return to Salaried Work?

This is a very interesting article. I’ve been freelancing for 13 years now, and have often said I want to get back into the corporate world once my son goes off to college. My desire to be at home with him is what got me freelancing in the first place, but I find I’m growing weary of the constant ups and downs and have been wanting to go back to a steady income. I have even contemplated switching careers in order to go back to the outside world, but I don’t know how feasible that is given the age I will be when the time comes, not to mention pitching away 25 years of experience in my present industry at that point. But it never occurred to me that I might run into the problems you mention here. I will be watching the comments on this column with interest, hoping to gain some more insight into these issues from others who have been there. Thanks for writing about it.

I don’t totally discard the possibility of getting a salaried job again. I’ve left some doors open just in case. But now that I’ve managed to quit my day job, I really hope I’ll never have to get another one — unless I’m hired to do something that I truly love.

Just like you, I have a skillset that is best suited to an international, broader market. So that’s another reason why I must stick to my freelance activities. My skills have never been appreciated by my bosses. I’ve even been encouraged to forget about them and concentrate on things that our local market found “important” — as if being a writer was kind of a “bad thing.” On the other hand, when someone had to write reports — and this would happen almost everyday –, I was the go-to woman and I even created report templates that my co-workers are still using nowadays. Yet, being a good writer wasn’t “important enough” in my bosses eyes. Go figure.

No, I can’t get back to that life. But if I ever need to, I’ll keep your advice in mind, especially the parts about jealousy from non-freelancers.

Although I’ve “only” been freelancing for a couple of years, I think that I would have a very difficult time going back to a “regular” job. I’ve grown far too accustomed to running my own business, setting my own hours, and having the relative freedom to wear what I want “at work” and take time off when I need it. I appreciate the security and comfort that a salaried job may bring, but I place more value on my freedom and the reward of my hard work paying me first.

Going back to a salaried job worked for me – it made me realise how much I loved freelancing! I lost so much freedom that I’d taken for granted, I was miserable.

Now I’m freelancing again – my motivation is much higher, and I’m landing far better gigs than before.

Thanks, corporate world!

Nice post. It’s a topic I haven’t read much about before. I have personal experience here… I was a freelancer for many years. Then a couple of years ago, due to a combination of unfortunate events, I fell quickly into hard times and had to make the decision to take a “real job.” And for me — the injured bird analogy hit home. The loss of freedom was (and still is) incredibly difficult for me to deal with. The first month that I took the job, I literally was blinking back tears as I drove in to my new job. My feeling of failure was completely huge.

With my friends and client base, I was embarrassed to tell people that I had taken the job. I thought that any freelancing work that I could salvage on the side, would be hurt when my clients found out that I was working — and this was true… not only on a professional level, because it makes me seem less invested in my own stuff — but also in reality, because when somebody calls with a quick turn-around job, I can’t do it if I’m at work. However, my friends and family were supportive — and whatever issues of personal failure that I had, were completely my own when it came to them.

Perhaps this would have been easier to deal with if I hadn’t felt forced into it due to circumstances, and was instead just deciding that I didn’t make a good freelancer. But for me, having to be somewhere during set hours, having to work on set projects, not being able to put off my work until after dinner so that I could go to the park on a sunny day… these were all huge losses of freedom for me, that I still haven’t come to terms with.

There are, of course, good things about working a real job, and I do my best to look at the glass as half-full. There’s a regular paycheck. There is daily interaction with a variety of people. There’s the hustle-and-bustle of being part of the downtown work-force. There’s a depreciated level of financial/tax paperwork.

I’m also lucky in that I’ve been able to negotiate my job into having a little more flexibility… including a handful of home-work-days a month. And I have retained a small amount of freelance work on the side. But trust me — my brain is often spinning… trying to figure out how to get back full-time into the freelancer world. It is the only way that I will ultimately be truly happy with my career.

when i moved from one state to another, a lot of my work dried up, so i thought i’d try going back to the ‘real’ world of working. after the first week, i’d finished all the work they had for me. so not only was i commuting 35 minutes, but then i was sitting at a job from 8am to 6pm doing nothing. after 3 weeks, i put in my 2 weeks notice and i haven’t looked back. funny thing is, i still freelance a lot for the company i worked for for those 3 weeks.

I’ve started freelancing right after university, in a field that I wasn’t officially qualified for. Now, nine years after that, I’m close to getting a “normal” employment (the company wants me, and I, for once, want the company!). For a long time, I considered even the idea to go into employment as failure, and logically never looked for it. However, I’ve realized by now that in my area of Germany, the projects that fit the most to my software-oriented tech writing are given to employees. And the alternative is to a) have no money here (I’m just not top in acquisition, and never will be) or b) go into projects 400 km apart from home and be home only at the weekends.

After having tried those two alternatives, I decided to give employment a try now. The company is rather fresh, does high-tech development and feels more like a university institute, the times are flexible, the project right up my alley, they want me even though I want only 4days/week and do some freelancing next to it. Therefore, I’m really looking forward to having a few years now in which I don’t get frustrated – or worse, depressed – over financial ups and downs. Does is it end my total freedom? Yes, but a freedom that means compromising on so points just for having the illusion of being free (without really being it) isn’t worth the nerve-wracking.

So, well, I’m probably going into my first real employment, as a specialist in a cool team, and we’ll see how it will work out! Keep your fingers crossed for me

Luckily for me, freelancing is one of the most common routes for an illustrator to take… and a lot of us continue doing freelance on the side while holding down a full-time position. So, if I try to look for a steady job later on (as I will, in the game industry), my colleagues and art-directors will most have been in my shoes at one point or another. Takes the worry out of it, for sure.

This is very timely. I just left a life of freelance blogging and freelance writing to accept a full time job as community manager at blogtalkradio.To be honest, I applied for this gig because it involved the things I was good at – blogging and social networking – and it was a work at home gig. I hemmed in hawed for some time before applying, but I knew if I didn’t I’d continue to kick myself.

I thought about losing my freedom, which I am sort of, but I’m also gaining more time. I can end my day between five and six and take weekends off. I can spend my evening reading a book or getting my ass kicked on the Wii by my six year old son – or work on personal blogs if I feel like it. I’m sleeping later and spending more time with my family. I have paid vacation and sick time and a steady salary. I know exactly what’s coming in each paycheck.

I hope this gig lasts as it’s truly my dream job. If it doesn’t I’ll most likely go back to freelancing unless another blogging/work at home position opens up.

I am never going back, kicking fighting and screaming. No way. Lol.

Any lost experience is made up for with a bulging portfolio and tons of references. I’ve found that my market value’s shot through the roof after a year of freelancing, and I was able to get a salaried job with little difficulty. Also, job offers will always come your way while freelancing: I’ve had clients try to hire me before.

If you’re an “enterprise” type (developers), freelancing may hurt your viability on the job market. But if you have less on the education/certification side, freelancing will give you tremendous experience and help your resume a great deal.

Several people here have mentioned the same problem: the variable income of being freelance. I started out as a freelancer in late 2004 and ended up cofounding Flying Frog Consultancy in 2005. One of the first revelations that I had was that establishing a stable income meant selling lots of product lines. We now have almost a dozen products and their revenue streams average out to quite a stable income: our monthly variance is +/-50%. So stable that the loss of a $50k Microsoft contract last week will have no significant affect on us at all because we shall invest the time in our products and still earn the same recompense, albeit over the next three years instead of three payments.

So I will hopefully never need to revert to an “ordinary” job for its stable income and, in fact, I shall consider myself a failure if I ever do.

I was a freelancer for five years and decided to go back to FT salaried work last year. At this point, I’m considering it an educational experiment that didn’t go well. I have not been happy working in this environment at all. My salaried position is supposed to be “flexible” yet since I’ve taken the position, I have no time of my own. I miss being able to work on my own schedule and keep up with life at my own pace. Yes, as a freelancer the pay is definitely less predictable, but for me, the trade off in having control over my work life is completely worth it. And I also felt like I had more “street cred” in my field as a freelancer. As a salaried employee, I’ve gotten sucked into the company value rather than my own. It would be easy for me to find another salaried position if I wanted as I’ve been in my field for a very long time and have an extensive network (all met while freelancing), but I think that I see the jump back into freelancing in my very near future. And I’m looking forward to it. So, if you enjoy freelancing, think long and hard about what you are giving up to go to a salaried position. Sometimes it’s not as great as it seems.

I’ve interviewed a number of freelancers where I work, and anytime I get someone in that has gone from full time employment to freelancing, and is now wanting to go full time again, I get cautious. I’m always wondering if they were “Freelancing” as a nice way to put unemployed, or if they actually had the heart to do it, and do it well. In the end your work should speak for itself, but I guess it’s not like that everywhere.

Who knows…if you’ve been a freelancer for a short period of time, maybe it’s best to leave your previous job off your resume?

Very fascinating stories here. Thanks to all for sharing.

The great irony is that I wrote this post in May or early June, and have since taken a part-time Editor role (albeit on contract) for NETTUTS.com, a sister site of FreelanceSwitch. I’m enjoying it, though it’s been a while since I’ve done this kind of work (having to assess other people’s code). Most of all, it’s helped me achieve the balance of work I’d decided up on in March: writing, editing, coding, minor design.

So never say never?

It ain’t easy. As Karyl mentioned sometimes you work in an industry that accepts people who do both, sometimes simultaneously,

But as I’ve learned, the ball and chain of a desk can be onerous… and the corporate atmosphere that works towards “job security” instead of “getting the job done” can make you bang your head against the wall.

Having been a hiring manager as well as a long-time freelancer, I can tell you that the Credibility point is really more true than not.

At this point in my career, unless it’s my own company, I’m basically unemployable. Hiring managers won’t want someone who has run their own company successfully for many years. Why? Pick one or more:

1. Because I’ve had success doing more than the hiring manager has accomplished in their career. I’ve run a company! They’re a manager in someone else’s company. Will I really be able to work for him/her as a subordinate?

2. Because I have avoided social and political battles for so long, will I know what to do when faced with an intra-company battle? I’ve been in charge of my own world for so long, will I have the negotiating skills to satisfy all the parties within the company who have their own agendas that may not align with my own or even with the company’s needs?

3. After having set my rates as high as I can get them, will I be satisfied with a 5% (or less) raise at the end of the year and no piece of the profits that I helped create?

From a hiring manager’s perspective a hiring a long-time freelancer is perceived as a huge risk. Short-term freelancers might jump back and forth and that’s a risk, but less of a risk than a person who has been freelancing for years and years.

I went full-time freelance over three years ago now, and so far so good. I do often worry a bit and wonder if and how I would ever cope if I had to go back into the workforce (the caged bird analogy nearly made me weep!!). I don’t feel I followed a traditional path for my career before going freelance, so it’s hard to know what kind of role I’d be suited for if I did go back.

I think we’re going to see this discussion crop up more in the future as the workplace structure continues to change and people move in and out of different forms of employment. The discussion made me think of Laura Vanderkam’s book Grindhopping (I’ve no connection whatsoever to the author). She describes going freelance early in your career as a way to then get back on the corporate ladder at a higher point than if you’d stayed in the cube – not exactly what we’ve been talking about here, but interesting nonetheless. It’s mainly geared towards people fresh out of college, but it still makes for an interesting read and, hopefully, a sign of more discussions on this in the future.

I’ve been a freelance business entrepreneur for +10 years, my business dropped and I went back to salary work for a boss. To be a freelance worker is a bit more scary to do but you have also more freedom to chose how you operate your day. I usually go shopping etc, when others are at work and if I need to drive somewhere I time it between rush-hour and peak-hour.

I love my work. free or not, just love it badly

I took a salaried position in February 2008 because I missed working with people and wanted a reliable monthly income. It’s now July and I’m in my 3rd week of blissful unemployment and breaking back into freelancing.

I don’t know if my issues at work stemmed from the particular job environment or if I would have difficulty returning to any full-time job. It was a very clique-ish environment, for one thing. It was also not a place where intiative and using logic were appreciated. I got written up twice for doing more than I was assigned and I also got written up once for taking empty sheet protectors out of a binder in my file drawer and using them in another binder. Mind you, I did not STEAL the sheet protectors or take them home and use them for non-work purposes. I simply took empty ones that were not being used (so as to not have to order more – they are expensive) and used them specifically for work materials, and I got in trouble!

I can’t deal with that kind of BS, so I am back to working for myself. I was physically ill nearly every day for the last month or so I worked full-time. I decided I don’t need to put myself through constant heartburn, chest pain, nausea, and headaches 5 days a week just to earn a living.

I went freelance in 2000. One of my best decisions so far. I had previously worked 6 years in the corporate world. Whereas, I would lose motivation after a couple of years in the corporate world, here, after 8 years, I still get excited when I get a new project! I do sometimes think ‘what would it be like if I went back to being a FT worker in the corporate world’ – it could be for various reasons, such as, meeting new people, learning new things, be ‘out there’ – but if I haven’t done it yet, it’s because I think the benefits of being a freelancer are far better! Nothing like being your own boss, nothing like having the freedom and the flexi-timings, nothing like seeing your business grow…(the last one, especially, is the best part . And I know I can always ‘meet new people’ and ‘learn new things’ by attending seminars, workshops etc.. So, so far, so good.

Great article and comments. I’ve experienced this couple of times.

I’ve started freelancing ten years ago, right after school, but soon I had to find a real job, since I didn’t have any contacts and the money wasn’t even paying my rent. Looking back now, I think I would have done the same thing. After switching my job few times, I got a job for the past 8 years, but never forgot the freedom and the kick I got out of freelancing. I’ve continued to freelance part time, nights and weekends. It was only to keep the dream alive, and pay for my toys..:)

Late October, I got laid off. This was right after I bought a house. I thought to myself that this was what I’ve been waiting for. So I got my freedom back, now what? I started letting my clients know that I was freelancing full time. In fact I haven’t stopped since.

So I think you can’t just be a Freelancer, the Freelancing has to be in you. What I mean is that you have to love what you do and be passionate about it, other wise, you better off waiting for your check to comes in at a dead end job.