Another “Freelance is Easy” Article

The look on my face right now? Frustration.

I know they mean well, but I keep seeing articles on legitimate news sources that make freelancing or working from home seem easy. It’s really a problem, because the vast majority of people who are taking this advice and giving freelancing a go aren’t qualified for the job at all.

Image: sxc.hu

And that makes all of us look bad. I cant tell you how many times I’ve had to “prove myself” because clients “have been burned by poor writers in the past.” Yes, when someone tries to become a freelancer just because they want to stay home with the kids or see it as an easy way to make money, they’re going to fail 99% of the time.

Today, on the Yahoo! homepage, there’s an article posted called “5 of the Best Work-From-Home Jobs.” That’s fine…but on the homepage it is branded as “five careers [that] require a bachelor’s degree or less, and often can be done from home” and promises readers jobs that can make them $30,000 to $70,000 a year.

Yes, if you are qualified, and if you put in the time to gain experience. On top of that, these are average salaries, which means that they can be skewed heavily by people who are extremely successful. If there are ten people polled, and nine make $100 a year while the last guy makes $3 million a year, the average salary is $300,090. You’re much more likely to make $100 than over $300,000, though. Remember that. Averages don’t always accurately describe how much you can expect to make (”medians” are better).

Bottom line: freelancing in any field isn’t easy. You’re going to be running your own business, and if you fail at a job, you don’t get paid that week. Not everyone can be a freelancer, and I wish news sources would stop advertising that it’s a simple way for anyone to make money.

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