From Caryl's Desk: My Thoughts on Freelancing

A freelancer is define as a person who offers his or services to employers without long-term contract or commitment. With the help of the internet, freelancers easily find virtual jobs or online employment and gives employers or companies the opportunity to search for qualified candidates worldwide. The only downside of this, which I guess is inherent in globalization, is the "pricing war" among freelancers. For the same set of skills or capabilities, freelancers from the Americas would charge say $10/hr while those from other region would charge like $3/hr, even lower, of their service. In writing projects, some freelancers would agree on a $1/article while others find that price absurd.


The last time I checked Elance.com, I remembered one job posting that was subjected to intense criticism among freelancers. I think the employer was offering a $3/hr job. Some freelancers found it too low that they made that post a laughing stock. I remembered one freelancer commented: "We are freelancers, not slaves."

There is an obvious pricing issue in freelancing. I couldn't say that others don't play fair game simply because the reality is, there is economic differences among culture. I think it would be safe to say, that majority of the freelancers in Asia are a lot cheaper. But that is not to say that we work cheaply.

I've been a freelancer for a year now.  My home is my office too--yeah, kind of like there is no boundaries. But it suits me very well. I don't feel like going back to the corporate world.

Several years ago, I worked for a Japanese employer as a QA and Planning Supervisor. It was an engineering kind of job (I was an accounting graduate, take note). After spending good four years with the company, I made a career shift and decided to try sales. Luckily, even without sales background and call center experience,  I got a job in a prestigious training company where I lingered for almost 7 years. Basically, after working for 11 years, I decided to be a freelancer. Looking back, I couldn't say it was a tough decision because I was determined to do it. I knew exactly what I want. As I always say: Failure isn't my option.

Odesk and Freelancer are the two sites where I am getting my online projects. I'm doing it while marketing furniture (a local company that specializes customize or made-to-order rattan and bamboo furniture) and some real estate projects (I am an accredited real estate specialist in a Makati-based company).

Blogging, social networking, and playing social games--these are my breather.

Freelancing isn't for every one, I can say. Some people simply doesn't want to work at home because they wanted to separate work and home. Others fear that the career couldn't sustain their financial needs. While others get bored.

Here's what I have to say, freelancing is close to being an entrepreneur. They are not reporting to any bosses, and they work at their own time and pace. They are paid for their productivity or their deliverables, not by their time spent at the office. And a lot of them tend to overwork.