Deciding to stay freelance or go employed. It’s a choice that’s been on my mind recently, and one that many others deal with.

The decision depends on things like financial needs, personal goals, risk tolerance, and work-life balance aspirations. However, these can change a lot, according to short or long term circumstances. So there’s never a simple answer to the question.

Having worked both freelance and in employment over the years, I’ve noted many observations. I’ll get to those in a minute.

Firstly, when I talk about freelance, what do I mean? I’ve worked both in-house freelance (you could call this contracting) and independently freelance (working for a range of individual clients, either on projects or as support).

I actually really enjoy the flexibility and autonomy of this, as it suits my character. When I’ve worked full time employed, I’ve felt trapped, stifled and struggled with the politics. I know this is purely down to character traits, so I’m fine with it.

It’s not all roses mind you. On the other side, the risk and hustle that freelancing requires to make it work take a big toll on my mental energy and health. I’ve observed many minor burn outs. These are better than a slow, permanent burn out that emplyment felt like to me. So I’ve decided that freelance has more upsides, for me.

Traditional employment does provide stability and benefits, which some appreciate more than I do.

What else is different between the two?

Freelancing: Results > Process

Employment: Process > Results

Switching between these roles (whether short or long term) can be tricky, involving upsides and downsides.

Upside – seeing and gaining insight on other perspectives

Downside – needing to re-learn what's valuable to the org you're serving

Overall, the decision to work as a freelancer or as an employee depends on one's personal goals and priorities. Freelancing offers more flexibility and control over one's work, but also requires more self-discipline and responsibility for finding and managing clients. Employment provides more stability and benefits, but also requires adherence to company policies and procedures. Ultimately, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each option and choose the path that aligns best with one's career aspirations.