@AvidFan thank you so much for answering this. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. I’m curious what lead you to freelance work, if you’re comfortable sharing? It definitely sounds like it’s not easy to get started. I’m also just impressed by how many different things you were doing!
Don't mind at all! I forgot to add I also did video shoots and editing, that was quite fun sometimes, and also did IT training for educational establishments (mainly schools!). It's a long story, but basically my primary career choice was academe, I graduated at 21 with a good degree in English, turned out it was no use for a job, and the thought of jobs horrified me, the thought of being stuck in an office from 9-5 (or later!) week in week out filled me with dread. Apart from anything else, I'm not a morning person and all jobs were geared to morning people. So I decided to pursue a career in lecturing, which seemed more relaxed and informal and a much better alternative than ending up in some horrific school teaching teenagers about Shakespeare. So I went and did a Masters, then started a PhD, and did the first year. Unfortunately I then messed up a funding application, got rejected for government grant, and it all fell apart, so I spent most of my 20s unemployed and trying desperately to get funding again and writing unpublished books and things. I was sent for "office junior" jobs and all kinds of unsuitable things.
Eventually I got sent onto a "graduate gateway" program, where you'd basically work for free to get work experience, I got sent to an IT company to write software manuals (because I had a degree in English!). I knew nothing about computers at that point but by the time I left I was an expert! I then got my very first job working on little IT projects with kids at a community centre, and then a job at a school working with all the new IT stuff that was coming through then. At the time the government was putting a lot of money into deprived areas, and there was a special education team in my area full of consultants and expert teachers etc. Despite technically needing to be a qualified teacher to work for that, I got picked up and taken into the team and after 5 years I was basically running the IT side of things, training teachers, building websites and running all kinds of local and national projects.
The problem? I'm not a morning person and starting at 8am to be in schools etc was killing me as then my brain would keep me awake until 4am and I never got much sleep. I also didn't like the hierarchy, the formality, and the endless meetings and office/school politics. The only way I survived was that I got all the school holidays, by the end of each term I'd be exhausted then have a blast. The summer holidays were great. Everything was on borrowed time though, the funding for the project was starting to wind down and people were starting to go their separate ways. I'd come across consultants who worked on a freelance basis while doing all this, so I figured the next best step would be to set myself up and when the project ended, I'd still be around to deliver training and offer all my skills for hire. I went part time for a bit, started to collect work, and eventually gave my notice and went full time self employed. While tinkering around I came across the concept of affiliate marketing and selling goods and services online for a commission, so I setup a bunch of websites, worked 2 hours a day, and would login every morning to see sales amassing and money rolling in and then I'd head off to the coast for a week at a time while my websites generated passive income. Good times!
Did that for 3 years and it was one of the best times in my life, I'd work when I chose to, do the work at the optimum time for me, and wouldn't have to force myself into the shredder of commuting and being at a school or office for 8am.
Then the financial crisis of 2008 hit, I had some personal losses, life threw a number of curveballs at me, and I ended up doing something completely different, though all the experience and skills I had came in very handy and by then I knew how to manage being self employed, just in a different field. So I've been doing it for 18 years now, gosh is it that long! There were some very good times, and some very bad times. I was doing great when Covid hit, and went through years of turmoil like many other people, that's how I ended up on SF, the impact on my life and income led me down a path where I ended up being 52 with my house up for sale due to debts and being flat broke with dried up income. I've worked my proverbial behind off and fingers crossed am now coming out of that time, about to hopefully complete a remortgage, clear all my debts, and work has picked up again - though I have had to adapt and diversify again! If I did it all again I would probably stick with the part-time employment I had at the beginning, at the time I didn't think about things like pensions and sick pay and holiday pay as I was earning so much money and I was young and impetuous! It would have been nice to have a bit of security amid all the ups and downs and as I was employed through local government I'd have probably always have had a job of some kind.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to relive a few memories writing that! 😀 The simple answer is, I never wanted to work 9-5 or have a job, and it was clear that forcing my night owl chronotype into the world of early risers didn't do me any favours. I heard a sleep expert say that people will always eventually find a way of fitting their life around their chronotype, and that is true for myself. I've also always been a bit of a maverick and struggled to be managed by people less competent than myself, fit into office politics, etc - so eventually I drifted into working for myself for the freedom and flexibility! At times it's been anything but freedom and flexibility, but you live and learn!!
Looking back it's amazing how many curveballs, challenges and bottomless pits I had to navigate to get to this point, I suppose on the upside it's been varied and interesting and I at least achieved my aim of being my own boss, and mainly doing things I enjoy to make a living.
