Comments on: The Freelancer’s Survival Guide: When To Give Up Your Day Job http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/ Mon, 21 May 2012 02:57:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Kris http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/comment-page-1/#comment-1555 Kris Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:18:22 +0000 http://kriswrites.com/?p=688#comment-1555 Yeah, me too, Malcolm. I love working this way. (I think you can tell.) I also like your term "permies" Great! Yeah, me too, Malcolm. I love working this way. (I think you can tell.) I also like your term “permies” Great!

]]> By: Malcolm Cowen http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/comment-page-1/#comment-1552 Malcolm Cowen Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:15:45 +0000 http://kriswrites.com/?p=688#comment-1552 I went freelance software designer 25 years ago, because I could see no other way forward. I'd caught my boss in lying to his best friend to cheat him. The boss's sidekick was into what is best described as amateur gynacology (I found the magazines at 23:30 one night while looking for some documentation.) And the range of computers I'd spent 15 years becoming expert on had just been superceded, and all my experience was useless. I got a chance of a freelance contract where I had to provide my own training, and I took it even though I was scared stiff. I've never been happier. I've had far better job security since. Freelancers know the risks we face. Permies think they are secure, so when the sack comes it is devastating. And I still get this great kick when I walk away from a successful contract. I went freelance software designer 25 years ago, because I could see no other way forward.
I’d caught my boss in lying to his best friend to cheat him. The boss’s sidekick was into what is best described as amateur gynacology (I found the magazines at 23:30 one night while looking for some documentation.) And the range of computers I’d spent 15 years becoming expert on had just been superceded, and all my experience was useless.

I got a chance of a freelance contract where I had to provide my own training, and I took it even though I was scared stiff.

I’ve never been happier. I’ve had far better job security since. Freelancers know the risks we face. Permies think they are secure, so when the sack comes it is devastating.

And I still get this great kick when I walk away from a successful contract.

]]> By: Twitted by chrys937m http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/comment-page-1/#comment-374 Twitted by chrys937m Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:54:15 +0000 http://kriswrites.com/?p=688#comment-374 [...] This post was Twitted by chrys937m [...] [...] This post was Twitted by chrys937m [...]

]]> By: Lyn Worthen http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Lyn Worthen Tue, 12 May 2009 19:32:13 +0000 http://kriswrites.com/?p=688#comment-182 As a single mom, it was mostly the golden-handcuffs of health insurance that kept me tied to the day job. It took a company layoff to give me the kick-in-the-pants to actually give full-time freelancing a try. Fortunately, I had already been moonlighting as a freelanc tech writer for several years, so not only knew how to do it, but also had a solid clientele and some money in the bank. I went into it with a plan and a timetable for determining whether or not the experiment was a success or I needed to find another day job. Did that make stepping off into the void any less terrifying than when Indiana Jones took that step off the cliff to find the Holy Grail? Not a bit. But like Jones, I, too, was able to find the hidden path across the chasm and build a successful consulting business. Now to apply the same lessons (plus those learned at the K&D workshops) to growing the fiction career! Great series, Kris! As a single mom, it was mostly the golden-handcuffs of health insurance that kept me tied to the day job. It took a company layoff to give me the kick-in-the-pants to actually give full-time freelancing a try.

Fortunately, I had already been moonlighting as a freelanc tech writer for several years, so not only knew how to do it, but also had a solid clientele and some money in the bank. I went into it with a plan and a timetable for determining whether or not the experiment was a success or I needed to find another day job.

Did that make stepping off into the void any less terrifying than when Indiana Jones took that step off the cliff to find the Holy Grail? Not a bit. But like Jones, I, too, was able to find the hidden path across the chasm and build a successful consulting business.

Now to apply the same lessons (plus those learned at the K&D workshops) to growing the fiction career!

Great series, Kris!

]]> By: Kris http://kriswrites.com/2009/05/07/the-freelancers-survival-guide-when-to-give-up-your-day-job/comment-page-1/#comment-181 Kris Mon, 11 May 2009 20:08:00 +0000 http://kriswrites.com/?p=688#comment-181 I'm glad this is helpful for you, Mark. I think the workshop will be as well. Folks, we're doing one in June and one in September. You can find more information in an early post from me, or at Dean's website, <a href="http://deanwesleysmith.com/" rel="nofollow">http://deanwesleysmith.com/</a>. We do workshops only occasionally (until we get tired), mostly because no one is teaching business to writers, and that's what makes or breaks the career. Just an FYI. Kris I’m glad this is helpful for you, Mark. I think the workshop will be as well. Folks, we’re doing one in June and one in September. You can find more information in an early post from me, or at Dean’s website, http://deanwesleysmith.com/. We do workshops only occasionally (until we get tired), mostly because no one is teaching business to writers, and that’s what makes or breaks the career. Just an FYI. Kris

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