Had to choose between a stable office job and a freelance gig with no safety net

Last year I got offered a full time position at a company in Austin. $55k salary, benefits, 401k match. Then a freelance project came in that paid $80 an hour but had zero guarantees. I picked the freelance route. First three months were brutal, barely enough work. Then it picked up. Now I'm making more but the inconsistency scares me sometimes. Has anyone else made that jump and regretted it or stuck with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellat8711d ago

I picked the freelance route" - respectfully, that $55k office job in Austin is barely a safety net either. With rent prices there, you'd be eating rice and beans either way. Sounds like you made the right call, the first few months just suck for everyone.

jake_kelly2411d ago

My first two freelance months I made exactly $0 and ate instant ramen for breakfast lunch and dinner. Pretty sure my body composition was 80% sodium by then. It took me six months to land my first consistent client and I almost bailed back to a call center job twice. The freedom is real once you get through the mud but man that mud is deep. Nobody talks about how many cold emails you gotta send before one person even replies.