By Kadejah Brathwaite, Intern
Making money from your passion when you want to and how you want to is becoming more and more appealing to Americans, especially millennials. Freelance jobs are an increasingly attractive option for this generation of creative and independent thinkers because of the freedom that comes with not being tethered to one company.
Millennials desire jobs that allow them to take charge of creating their own flexible schedules. According to a new study, 49% of millennials would be willing to leave their jobs in the next two years if they could. Money is one of the primary factors that attracts young adults to certain companies, but their sense of job security and feeling of worthiness in the business is what makes them stay. The lack of feeling valued in the workplace, however, is why so many are open to quitting and are deciding to follow careers that makes them feel fulfilled.
Fortunately, becoming a freelancer has significant amounts of benefits. It is a new form of entrepreneurialism that gives workers opportunities to take full reign of how they want a project to be completed. Instead of being tied to a desk all day, most freelancers can choose their environment, schedule and ambiance which lightens up their mood and can increase productivity. Freelancing also allows workers to have control over their work-life balance. On the other hand, being an independent contractor also comes with its share of challenges. To put it bluntly, when you’re not working, you’re not getting paid. It can be stressful to wait on payments for completed projects and freelancers constantly have to be searching for work in order to maintain cashflow. It’s a constant exercise in maintaining balance.
Millennials ditching full-time jobs to go the non-traditional route benefit small businesses too. Freelancers work as needed, so smaller companies save money and can hire people based on specific skills they are seeking. In addition, companies can build long-term relationships with freelancers because once they’ve found someone who is professional, dependable and skilled, they will know exactly who to go to in the future.