13
Jan
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Things to Think About When Considering Freelance Web Design As a Career

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By Greg Dixon

For a lot of people, the idea of moving into freelance web design is all about the advantages that such a career change would bring, from the big leap in salary to the much more flexible working hours (as well as the possibility of more time spent at home with friends and family) to the simple joy of being able to sit at home working at a career you enjoy and choosing your own projects. Unfortunately the reality is seldom as simple as that.

The first thing to ask yourself if you’re thinking about going into freelance web design is just how disciplined you are. All the idealistic images you have in your head about working from home don’t take into account the fact that you’ll be sat at your desk with the internet there to distract you and no boss or co-workers checking up on you. How will you get that website designed if you haven’t got the discipline to force yourself to work to deadline for your clients? Have you got it in you to say no when friends and family, kids or pets come knocking and want your attention? Can you set aside a number of hours a day in your home office where no one is allowed to disturb you? If you cannot do this, or you’re the kind of person who is easily distracted then you should think very carefully about going into web design as a freelancer.

Next, you need to understand that discipline isn’t just needed in order to complete work. It is also crucial because you will be responsible for going out and finding work as well. If you were an employee at a design agency, your boss would be handing you projects to work on. Doing freelance web design means finding contracts yourself. Work won’t just magically turn up with money attached. You’re going to have to be proactive in finding work and winning clients if you go freelance. That means selling yourself and networking.

Once you’ve got the contract and you’ve found the discipline to complete it, you’ve now also got the pressure of being solely responsible for the design being good enough. What happens if the client hates the design? What happens if the client is hard to work with? All these problems are now yours and it is your reputation and your company that will suffer when things go wrong. As a freelance web designer you will live and die on your reputation and on the recommendations of your clients, so you can;t afford to screw up. Can you deal with pressure like that?

Lastly, think about the financial implications of moving into freelance web design. Clearly freelancers have the chance to earn much more money than regular employees, but only if they find the work. What happens if you end up going weeks or even months without finding a client? And what about the first couple of months when you are starting out and building your reputation. How will you cope then? Have you got enough savings to back you up in those early lean months? The other financial implication you should be prepared for is that as a freelancer you will face a kind of discrimination from many financial institutions and banks. As a contracting web designer you not only have to handle all your own taxes and contributions, and choose between Limited, Managed or umbrella companies, you also have to try and find specialist mortgages and loans because most banks don’t like lending to freelancers who might not have a fixed income stream.

However, if you’re willing to deal with all these potential negatives, going into business on your own as a web designer can be an incredibly rewarding career move.

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Greg Dixon is a freelancing expert based in the UK. He can currently be found writing for a daily blog on home-working and freelancing for The Bedouin Group, a portal for contractors

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Dixon
http://EzineArticles.com/?Things-to-Think-About-When-Considering-Freelance-Web-Design-As-a-Career&id=5632580

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