Up to February 2020, whenever I’d say that I was working from home, the reactions would go from “wow, you’re such a lucky girl!” to “really? isn’t it boring?” But that was it. Except for those who were actually freelancing themselves, almost no one would really stop and think what working from home would mean for them.

Fast forward one year, and everyone has a very strong opinion about working from home. Either you love it, or you hate it. The thing is that nowadays, most people associate it with being stuck at home without being allowed to go out, travel, or do whatever it is that you like to do. And if you have kids, working from home actually means trying to work from home. With kids. Around.

I get it. Working from home as an opportunity to keep growing your professional life while raising your children isn’t that attractive anymore. The whole bohemian vibe is gone. Working from home has turned into teaching 2nd-grade Maths while trying to answer an email from your boss. And while you used to hate those unproductive meetings at the office, now you’re even longing to come back to a place where you don’t need to bribe little humans to be quiet while you’re in a call. It can get so embarrassing when you can hear your children singing right at the videocall’s key moment!

What we may be forgetting, though, is that working from home doesn’t have to mean working remotely for a company. If you are self-employed and work for yourself, the story is completely different! Let me tell you why.

Differences between working from home as an employee or as a freelancer

So let’s see what the pros and cons of working from home as an employee are:

Pros of being employed:

  • No matter where you work from, you’ll get your paycheck at the end of the month.
  • You are expected to work your 9-5 – or whatever your regular hours are.
  • You’re still working in a team, so you’ll most likely have someone to discuss any problems or questions you may have.

Pros of being self-employed:

  • In normal circumstances, the more you work, the more you earn – but you also have the freedom to accept fewer projects, which is really helpful in moments like these, when – you know – you’ve surprisingly become a 2nd-grade Maths teacher!
  • When unexpected circumstances come up, you don’t have to drop your professional life: You can prioritize projects with longer deadlines, for instance.
  • Nobody is going to have anything against your working late at night. Is it ideal? Nope! But none of this is! And the truth is that you can work whenever it best suits YOU – not your boss. You choose your work hours.

I know that the pros I’ve detailed for self-employed are much longer than the pros for employed workers. And the truth is that I am biased. You hadn’t noticed, right? 😉 I do love the freedom that self-employment offers. Yes, even though it’s hard. But worth it. At least for me!

Remote worker working from home

Other perks about freelancing

>> Freelancing might not be as “safe” as a permanent job. But there are very few jobs which are really safe. Especially now! Who would have told airlines that they wouldn’t be able to fly anymore, right?

>> Freelancing used to mean working more hours, but employees are doing it now as well, as they can’t separate work from personal life. Besides, mobile devices make it very hard not to stay connected.

>> When you’re self-employed, your freedom goes beyond working from the beach or traveling around the world. Your freedom is working when you want and where you want from. And hey, when we can start traveling again, working from home can become working on the road from one day to the next one!

So what do you prefer, freelancing or being an employee? And what do you think about working from home? Love it? Hate it? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Remote worker working from home

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