You Know You’re a Freelancer When…
Posted November 23, 2010 in Freelance Stories, Humor
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether you’re a true freelancer or just someone doing some work on the side. The distinction is an important one, because you’re expected to act differently as a freelancer–and by act differently I mean work longer hours, become a vampire and lose your social circles.
But fear not, I’m giving you a trusty guide to settle the dilemma…..are you a freelancer or not?
(and yes…I’m pretty much guilty of ALL of these…)
You Know You’re a Freelancer When…
- You think working 14 hours a day is something everyone does.
- You wear your best pajamas to important client Skype meetings.
- Your idea of a good time is doing more work.
- Going to the grocery store is your idea of a vacation.
- You argue about work with your dog.
- You keep a sleeping bag in your office so you never have to be far from email.
- Your significant other rolls their eyes whenever you check emails during a date.
- You dream about battling angry clients.
- You don’t have a social life. Wait…social life? What’s that?
- You consider Starbucks your official office.
- The last time you saw the light of day was the last time you left the office…three years ago.
- You forget if there’s a desk underneath all that paper.
- You only go to conferences and events for the cool swag.
- You promise to work just five longer…three hours after you already promised to work just five minutes longer.
- You count your iPhone, iPad, or Android as a business expense. After all, you have to check your emails often when you’re away from the office.
- Instead of going to the doctor when you’re sick, you Google about so you don’t have to leave your work.
- You make up “lunch traditions” just to get out of the house once a week.
- Your parents wonder how you’re paying the bills. What is it again you do exactly?
- After a year of two of freelancing…you’re now afraid to leave the house. It’s so safe here!
- You no longer bother to get dressed or take a shower…what’s the point?
Readers Who Know They’re a Freelancer When…
- @iDamianH You can drop everything and go for a walk.
- @kwhitedesign The only time you aren’t wearing pajamas is the weekend.
- @kwhitedesign Your workday starts at 10 and ends at 1am.
- @kwhitedesign You’ve memorized the wifi hotspots in every part of town.
- @kwhitedesign You actually use business cards!
- @kwhitedesign The coffeemaker is on almost as much as your computer.
- @kwhitedesign You wear so many hats, the hat rack doesn’t work anymore.
- @kwhitedesign By the time you get paid for a job you’ve forgotten what you did in the first place.
- @jaytem Clients expect you to work for free, because after all, free is in your title.
- @CBlasek When wearing pajama bottoms and a button down shirt are normal for video conferences.
- @John_A_Clarke You wonder why people complain of morning traffic while you sit and read your e-mails in your PJs.
- @syedbalkhi When your mom does not understand who you work for.
- @joshlittlejohn You know you’re a freelancer when a conference call means putting on a clean t-shirt and logging on to skype.
- @_DavidSilva When they ask if you just woke up. No, I’ve been working on a very important client while sitting comfortably in my shorts.
- @blikkies You eat breakfast at 2 pm and dinner at 2 am.
When Do You Know You’re a Freelancer?
Have you done any of the above?
Share in the comments.
Image by db photographs
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About the author: Amber is a freelancer with over 10 years of experience and specializes in clean, semantic and valid HTML5, CSS3 and Wordpress development. She also writes a web development blog at www.amberweinberg.com and just launched a web app for developers at www.codesnipp.it.
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81 Comments
Chris @ SyracuseCS
November 23rd, 2010 at 8:55 amThese are very much right on the mark! Too funny :) My favorites are:
- You wear your best pajamas to important client Skype meetings.
- Your idea of a good time is doing more work.
- You argue about work with your dog.
- You promise to work just five longer…three hours after you already promised to work just five minutes longer.
- You count your iPhone, iPad, or Android as a business expense. After all, you have to check your emails often when you’re away from the office.
- Your parents wonder how you’re paying the bills. What is it again you do exactly?
- After a year of two of freelancing…you’re now afraid to leave the house. It’s so safe here!
It’s funny how no one remembers what exactly you do, no matter how many times you tell them.
Angie - The Work at Home Wife
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 amSo it is NOT just me…I keep telling people this is normal. :)
Sara Hamil
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:13 amHa ha! Oh dear, I could relate to WAY too much of that list…
Melissa
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:14 am- you’re actually excited to get up and “go” to work.
Rachel Small
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 amHaha, so true! You know you’re a freelancer when you start getting free coffee at the local coffee shop because you’re there so often and they know you by name.
Or when you never see your best friend – and she lives in the same apartment as you!
cyberfux
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:32 amGuilty in nearly all accuses ;-)
Copied&Translated it to german for my normal audience, hope that’s ok…
Emily Suess
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:37 amI know I’m a freelancer when I come home from Day Job, get in my jammies, get back to work until 10:00 p.m. and actually have enough money to pay my bills at the end of the month. :)
TheAL
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:38 amI still can’t fully relate to #1, #3 and #15, which seem to abound with freelancers. I actually became a freelancer to have my own schedule and avoid taking work home. I experienced enough working for free when I was a web developer at companies. Go figure.
And #10. I’m slowly becoming a crusader in an epic battle against the coffee house stereotype. That and I refuse to give them tons of money for overpriced dumpster shavings.
All in all, though, I can relate to a lot of these. My favorite is…you know you’re a freelancer when friends bug you like you don’t have a “real” job.
Tuncay Demirtepe
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:44 amBeing freelancer:
- having cellphone car charger for smartphone, 110v converter for notebook, list of wi-fi spots in your car.
- pulling over car to write a reply to your clients.
- making shopping list by taking picture of empty containers.
- hearing “you must be new neighbor, I didnt saw you before” from your neighbors after 2-3 years.
- dreaming (nightmares actually) about your projects and clients.
Richard Arblaster
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:44 amI’ve been unemployed for most of the last 2 years and I do those kind of things as well, I’m not currently a freelancer. :-)
Elian
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:54 amLOVE it!!! Laughing so much that I cried! Thank you all!!!
Jerome Bohg
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:04 amGreat list. Makes me feel good to know there are a lot more of us!
Sponsi
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:04 amThey are both funny and… scary! And even scarier is the fact that I actually see some of them in my life : ) OMG! : )
Katie
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:23 amHa! You know you’re a freelancer when you read this list, totally relate, and realize you’re not alone after all.
Thomas Stark jr.
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:32 amOMG! This is so true! So I’m not alone! Pheeew *wipes brow*
Although I think that I will never wear pajamas while developing. I prefer comfy clothes such as a little bit larger tee or tracksuit.
I have to say that I 100% agree with the grocery store. So relaxing… :D
Amber Weinberg
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:39 amLOL I’m glad to see I’m not the only crazy freelancer out there!
Darlene
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:24 pmVery funny post!! :-)
My favs are:
You dream about battling angry clients.
You don’t have a social life. Wait…social life? What’s that?
You consider Starbucks your official office.
Starbucks should offer Post Office Boxes too.
Andrei
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 pmFinally! I’m officially a freelancer :))
michael
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:37 pmthat was really great, was laughing all time in the bus with my android :-D
John Soares
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:44 pmOK, this is a very funny list, and some of it has applied to me at times.
But seriously, it is possible to have a successful freelance career and not work all the time. Life is much more than 14-hour workdays and little social life.
Salma Jafri
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:51 pmstill laughing ….15 minutes after first reading it and posting it to my facebook page :D amber, you need to do some stand up, girl ;)
Jeprie
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:22 pmWhat! No social life.
I have 1.000 follower and 3.000 facebook friends.I tweet and update my status every minutes. And you call that No Social Life.
OMG :)
Angie - The Work at Home Wife
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:40 pmI am a little confused on one point. Don’t facebook and twitter count as my social life? Darnit!
(Had to stop back and grab this link again. Love it!)
Mark
November 23rd, 2010 at 2:55 pmThis is so funny AND so true. I related to more of these than I thought I would. I can’t even remember what a social life is. \
kavyansh
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:04 pmThis happened recently with me
“Instead of going to the doctor when you’re sick, you Google about so you don’t have to leave your work.”
Chesley Maldonado
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:27 pmI can totally relate… especially “Your idea of a good time is doing more work.”
So nice to connect with people who get it.
Jordan Walker
November 23rd, 2010 at 4:13 pm“You keep a sleeping bag in your office so you never have to be far from email.”
Totally helps after a 22 hour, in the zone binge of WordPress, Photoshop, your favorite Text Editor and you need to at least catch a few hours of sleep. The floor is optimal.
Issa @ Ajeva
November 23rd, 2010 at 4:38 pmHaha…. your list is so hilarious I almost fell off my seat – especially the last item. I think you’re a true freelancer when the most social thing you can do is chat with other freelancers at online forums. I guess, I have to take some time to unplug and go out there in the real world to have some fun.
Vivek Parmar
November 23rd, 2010 at 4:52 pmafter reading this i can’t say that i’m a freelancer. i work around 18-20 hours a day and sometimes parents ask me what i do infront of computer for many hours.
still no answer to their questions??
Carmen Jenner
November 23rd, 2010 at 7:23 pmGuess what I’m wearing? :-)
Stephanie
November 23rd, 2010 at 7:41 pmThis is a funny one!
“@jaytem Clients expect you to work for free, because after all, free is in your title.”
A lot of people I know still don’t understand what I do or how I pay the bills, so I can definitely relate to the third to the last point. My grandma, who owns her own hardware business, always asks me how exactly am I earning and if my husband’s still working on his full-time job. *shrugs* Go figure.
Being addicted to email and wondering what the meaning of “social life” is is also a problem for me haha! Great post Amber. :)
Siu Ling
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:16 pmThis is so funny! What’s scary is that ALL of the above ring a bell!
Brandon Cox
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:10 pmGood grief, we’re all sick aren’t we! I’m so glad I’m not alone! My song is “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go!”
Thida D.
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:04 pmOh~… looks like i have so many friends here! .. not alone anymore .. hahaha
Wirewalker
November 24th, 2010 at 1:20 amYay! I’m not completely nuts! I will print copies of these and send to friends and family.
JP
November 24th, 2010 at 2:48 amhahaha I love this list =)
Angelee
November 24th, 2010 at 3:18 am“+ Your parents wonder how you’re paying the bills. What is it again you do exactly?”
“+You consider Starbucks your official office.”
Angelee
November 24th, 2010 at 3:32 am“+ Your parents wonder how you’re paying the bills. What is it again you do exactly?”
— this one really makes me laugh cos I remember a police friend telling me he should have been a programmer. He realized it when he noticed why some of his guy neighbors just stayed home, collect techy gadgets, drink beer and raise families.
+You consider Starbucks your official office.”
— at least this helps to socialize a bit with the real world…
Shweta
November 24th, 2010 at 4:48 amyes yes yes… being a freelancer is absolutely normal..! com’on world, accept it… :)
yipee… and yes, i agree to almost all the points, they are applicable :)
thanks for this post!
Bella
November 24th, 2010 at 6:48 amThank God, I’m not alone!! :) I keep telling my boyfriend it’s normal to go to bed at 2 am and get up at 10, and he doesn’t believe me!
My favorite ones are:
“By the time you get paid for a job you’ve forgotten what you did in the first place.”
“Clients expect you to work for free, because after all, free is in your title.”
“When they ask if you just woke up. No, I’ve been working on a very important client while sitting comfortably in my shorts.”
I do get asked that last one A LOT! :)))
Dispite the long working hours and the messed up schedule/lack of social life – the freedom and satisfaction you get from it are priceless!!
Thanks, guys, for making me laugh!
Caitlin Kelly
November 24th, 2010 at 7:58 amPerfect.
“When clients email two months after you’ve turned in your work to tell you they don’t have the right paperwork to process your payment.” (this has happened twice in the past two months)
“when accounts payable laughs at your quaint insistence they need to pay promptly.”
I have started weekly lunches, (only possible now because a good friend is between FT jobs) and they are a godsend.
I disagree about “freelance” meaning all you do is work. The whole point is to (re) claim your time so you can manage it better.
Fechy
November 24th, 2010 at 10:20 amYou know you’re a freelancer when your tan color is “LCD screen white”
sajid
November 24th, 2010 at 11:43 ami think freelancer have more social life in a way that he interacts more with the people around the world throu internet……so common freelancer do have social life in another way.
Alfredo
November 24th, 2010 at 12:14 pm- You argue about work with your dog
It’s fantastic! Thanks for the list
TheAL
November 24th, 2010 at 12:38 pm@John Soares: Agreed. ;-)
Kathryn Pless
November 24th, 2010 at 2:16 pmYou know you are when your husband says, “oh wow! You’re actually dressed!”
TLC
November 24th, 2010 at 4:40 pmLove the list! I would say, You know you’re a freelancer when . . . . .
You work a 14-hour a day and it seems like fun!
You alternate work with tiling your new shower.
A client calls at 5:01 p.m. and asks “Are you off the clock?” and you start laughing.
Ameet
November 25th, 2010 at 6:39 amgreat i can relate myself to each point…
you know you are freelancer when you read Freelance folder to take a break from busy schedules
Alessandra
November 25th, 2010 at 8:10 amI like the background image on the laptop!
Melissa
November 25th, 2010 at 6:46 pmI so totally argue with my dog about work.
And I agree with the person who said Starbucks should have post office boxes…
Paul Ouano
November 26th, 2010 at 4:29 amI’d like to modify “Instead of going to the doctor when you’re sick, you Google about so you don’t have to leave your work.”
My own version, and what I did last night was this: “Instead of going to the doctor when you’re sick, you email your doctor friend, whom you met online, and ask for a prescription.” :P
raybak
November 27th, 2010 at 4:24 amI am almost there and would love to start my freelance career but i just need a push to jump of the cliff
Joshua Kincheloe
November 27th, 2010 at 7:10 pmYou know your a freelancer when you base your fun time on your paypal transfers!
Marla Rae Morris
November 29th, 2010 at 4:59 amI knew for certain I was a freelancer after reading your article and all of these posts! I feel right at home here. Isn’t it strange how no one understands why we would rather email or IM someone instead of talking to them in person or on the phone? Now if I could just figure out how to get the mailman to send my mail through the Internet instead of putting it in the box, I would be in business. I would never have to leave my computer again!
Vandaall
December 9th, 2010 at 6:52 pmA – You realise you are fully freelancing when when going from sleep to work requires only to switch the pillow position !
B – You are a freelance developer the day you realise you could actually write a simple app to convert the pictures you take of empty containers into a shopping list AND order it online for you ! (It’s called efficiency people)
Addendum one to B – you are a successful freelancing developer when you manage to get you dog and your cat to approve on one (your preferred) version of the app AND train one of them to use it for you so you can focus on bugs and UI/UX undisturbed ! The dog most likely …
Addendum two to B – you can retire from freelancing 3 days later when your app has been purchased 2 million times on the app store. Ok, this one may be a strech … 7-14 days is more likely !
C – You know you made it into the “Big League” when your blog’s carbon footprint is more important than taking showers !
D – You are an accomplished (and now former) freelancer when the book you wrote about your app’s API is a Amazon best seller and it finally lands you a job in a mega corporation. Which you were running from in the first place, but, let’s not get entangled in technicalities !
Happy holidays everyone :)
Soumya
December 18th, 2010 at 3:53 amLOL! So funny and very true!
My faves are:
“- Your idea of a good time is doing more work.
- Going to the grocery store is your idea of a vacation.
- You dream about battling angry clients.
- You don’t have a social life. Wait…social life? What’s that?
- After a year of two of freelancing…you’re now afraid to leave the house. It’s so safe here!
- The only time you aren’t wearing pajamas is the weekend.
- By the time you get paid for a job you’ve forgotten what you did in the first place.
- Clients expect you to work for free, because after all, free is in your title.
- You wonder why people complain of morning traffic while you sit and read your e-mails in your PJs.”
Superb! :)
Lisa Simmonds
June 13th, 2011 at 12:27 pmI feel so much better knowing it’s not just me getting up at lunchtime and working long into the next am, wearing my PJs all day and explaining “I HAVE got a job I’m self-employed” to bemused looking relatives who still think I’m unemployed.
As for – By the time you get paid for a job you’ve forgotten what you did in the first place. – that made me laugh! So true!
I am not alone :D
Early Retirement Investments
July 20th, 2011 at 9:58 amI know I become a freelancer when I’m getting online gigs for online clients who are willing to pay me for any work they commission me to do.
Primark Catalogo
December 17th, 2011 at 7:30 amSo it is NOT just me…I keep telling people this is normal. :)
Coto Ofertas
December 17th, 2011 at 7:39 amThis is so funny! What’s scary is that ALL of the above ring a bell!
chitarra mancina
January 31st, 2012 at 7:27 amHello, this is a good post!
Blanqueamiento
February 14th, 2012 at 4:39 pmthis is a good post! thanks for share!
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