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Career Pivots

From corporate to freelance

Preparing for a big change

Anna Burgess Yang's avatar
Anna Burgess Yang
Oct 01, 2023
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From corporate to freelance
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graphic novel illustration looking through the glass doors of a corporate office into a vast forest
Image created via Midjourney

I’ve said it many times: freelancing isn’t for everyone.

For all the glam of being your own boss and having complete control over your work, it can also be nerve-wracking and frustrating. You have to do everything — be your own accountant, be your own sales and marketing, be your own cheerleader. And if you’re not careful with boundaries, you’ll feel like you’re working all. the. time.

That being said, I love chatting with new freelancers. Encouraging them. Helping them navigate the waters so they don’t give up simply because they’re overwhelmed.

A friend of mine recently quit his job to go full-time with freelancing. He was laid off earlier this year and after a tumultuous job search, landed a new full-time job. But he immediately knew it was a bad fit. The corporate culture wasn’t what he had hoped. Rather than start a search again, he’s going to try freelancing.

I offered him some tips for getting started: going from zero-to-full-speed. Because when you make the leap, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the systems and details that can make freelancing more successful.

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