Sometimes many of us are overwhelmed by the thought that the hours spent in traffic jams on the way from home to work and back could be spent more efficiently. Perhaps it's time to relocate to a cozy co-working space near the house or create a peaceful workplace at home?
Remote work is becoming more and more popular nowadays, plus it enables you to improve your work-life balance and decrease the amount of stress you gain while working in the tense office environment; according to the Virgin Media Business report 86% of employees feel happier when working from home than those who don’t. These numbers are astonishing and make you think of considering part-time or a freelance job, however there are still some uncertainties on that issue.
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of partime job opportunities, full-time work schedule, and online freelance work to help you decide which one of them suits you best.
Full-time employment
Salaried employment provides numerous benefits including financial stability, health insurance and other benefits of corporate social package, plus you are able to network face-to-face and get mentored, which is extremely useful for industry freshers or graduates. However, it requires you to be able to follow the 9-to-6 work schedule, which sometimes is quite exhausting if you live far from work and have to spend hours commuting. Recent researches conducted by the University of the West of England show that every 20 extra minutes spent on the road lead to the same dissatisfaction level as receiving a 19% pay cut.
Let’s categorize all the pros and cons of full time employment to have a clearer view of the situation:
Pros of full-time employment:
- Stable monthly income and financial security
- Full access to social package benefits
- Effective communication with team members
- Mentorship and professional advice
- Great opportunity to develop self-discipline
- New friends and better social life
Cons of fulltime employment:
- Time and effort spent on travelling
- Inability to concentrate in an open-space environment
- Fixed working hours and strict office politics?
- Inability to work remotely or take a day-off without an approval from your manager
- Stressful daily grind which decreases the risk of insomnia and depression
Part-time job
Sometimes people tend to confuse part-time employment and freelance work. However, if you’re looking for part time job you must understand the core difference between part time and full time types of work. While freelancers are self-employed, part-time workers are still considered to be a part of the company and eligible for corporate benefits. Part timers work 30 hours per week or less and are involved in the vast amount of workflows, unlikely freelancers who work on a particular projects.
Recent Internet Survey conducted by the National Society of High School Scholars shows that more than 50% of respondents need earnings either to repay their college loan or to contribute to household income. Part time working hours allow students to combine both working and studying at the university or college and also provide work flexibility for young parents who are responsible for taking care of their new born child.
Thus, taking this into account we can list the pros and cons of part-time employment.
Pros of part-time jobs:
- Flexible work schedule; part time job hours are not always fixed, it depends on the type of work you do
- Financial stability
- Access to some of the corporate benefits
- Networking
- Experience of working in an office environment
- Better social life
Cons of part-time jobs:
- Lots of responsibilities in a short time frame
- Blurred career prospects
- Low salary
- Hardships with handling both career and studying/parenting
- Fewer benefits comparing with full-time employees
Freelancing life
Freelance job is a great way to live your life and make money without being turned into a corporate slave. If you prefer working alone and feel yourself capable of attracting new clients or have already developed your own professional network – go for it! There’s no better way to take control over your career than to become a freelancer, however there are still some difficulties which freelancers are constantly struggling with while being self-employed. Plus, not everyone is able to self-discipline oneself and constantly lacks motivation without being pushed either by scurrying co-workers or an overly demanding boss.
To make things clear, let’s take a closer looks to the pros and cons of a freelance job.
Pros of freelance work:
- Ability to work from any place you like
- No fixed work schedule, you can plan a visit to a doctor or a date with your spouse and don’t report to anybody. It’s up to you to decide when it is time to work
- Less stress and more relaxing environment. If you are introverted and have troubles with socializing, then freelancing is a perfect option for you
- Ability to choose projects according to your career goals. You don’t need to do the monkey work; you are in control of every task you receive and able to say no if you’re not interested
- Direct communication with clients; you are able to discuss all the issues without a third (controlling) party involved
- No boss, you’re the only one who is in charge of your results and that’s sounds awesome!
As you can the main advantages of freelancing are defined by the fact that there’s no one to control your work and tell you what is right or wrong, but let’s discuss the other side of the coin.
Cons of freelance work:
- Irregular income and financial instability; if you allow yourself a lot of freedom, then you will earn very little.
- Constant self-discipline and self-control. If you want to earn good money, you will have to discipline yourself and plan your working day, week and month. No one but you is capable of doing that. Remember, there is no boss!
- Customer search. You must put a lot of time and effort to search for clients; otherwise you’ll be left without a paycheck
- Reputation risks. If you’ve left your customers satisfied then relax but if not, get ready to receive bad reviews, complaints and gain bad reputation; there’s no one to blame. Everything depends on you
- Poor social life. There’s no need to mention the major role of short talk between co-workers - it helps your brain to recover from monotonous routine and a couple of witty jokes are able to perk you up better than a cup of freshly made espresso; as a freelancer you are deprived of it
No matter what type of work you prefer, remember things may change. Sometimes it is worth considering part-time employment (if you’re a student or a young parent) and sometimes, it is better to become a full-time employee and gain experience in office work, especially if you’re just starting your career. Plus, it provides you financial security.
As for freelance employment, it’s a good option for those who are already known in the professional circles and their reputation speaks for itself, otherwise searching for customers from scratch might turn into a big headache. However, if you’re truly determined to follow your own way and developed a powerful strategy, don’t hesitate and go for it!
