Welcome to my blog!
That is the first post, as you maybe saw on my Instagram Account emconceptual, of hopefully a run of many I will write. In general, I will talk about topics like Graphic Design and being self-employed while having a full-time job. That is why I want to start my first article right away with that.
Working as a freelancer/self-employed person and simultaneously having a secure full-time job sounds impossible? I say not true!
This first article will briefly cover the following topics:
What is the difference between freelancing, self-employment and full-time job?
But first of all, what is the difference between these terms? For example, freelancing and being self-employed is not entirely different in their meaning. One is working for themselves and has a certain amount of clients one is working with. Usually, one have more to say if one want to work for that client, the overall price, etc.
As for being in a full-time job, you usually have someone above you (e.g., boss), and the company gets the jobs and money. You get a portion of the overall money, which is a salary. Of course, there are different employment styles at a company; this is just one example.
Suppose you want to have a deeper look into that. In that case, I can recommend the blog article from Kitiara Pascoue about “What’s the Difference Between Being Freelance and Self-Employed? And does it matter?” [1].
Statistics about this topic
I am coming back to the combination of being a self-employed and having a full-time job. As I dived deeper into this topic, I found out that I’m not the only one (obviously) who is doing both or even more. I also have some people in my environment who do both.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a statistic that shows the number of people who do both (if you do, please leave the link in the comment!). But I have one from 2022 that talks about the overall self-employment rate in Europe. In 2019 it reached a peak of almost 19.5 Mio. people [2]. Isn't that amazing!
However, there is still a huge gap between a statistic about how many people are full-time employed (183 Mio. in 2019 [3]), but I guess if everyone would be self-employed that wouldn't lead us very far, would it? Nevertheless, I believe it is great that so many take the leap of faith and start a business and/!
Examples how full-time and self-employment can look like
There are various reasons for being self-employed and having a full-time job. The biggest one seemed to me that many people are transitioning between one. During that time, they do both as they are not yet (financially and/or emotionally) ready to let one thing drop. Another reason is that they enjoy both, and I can entirely oblique that. There are other reasons, but these are the most significant reasons I found out.
To show you some examples (these are not sponsored), I want to refer to Vincent Chan. He presents his journey in one of his videos on building nine income streams by 25. [4] During the first two minutes, he explains that he focused on many of his income streams (also freelancing) while working long hours in his corporate job. After he had built a safety net, he left the job and focused on expanding his other income streams. This would be an example for transitioning.
Another one is Sharon Tseung. She talks in her video about her financial journey. She also left her full-time job and focused on other things (e.g., finding her purpose). In the end, she decided to do both and also other things. Especially as she can continually learn at her full-time job and apply the knowledge in her freelancing and other projects. [5] This would be an example for someone who enjoys doing both.
Short intro about me
And for me, I started freelancing in 2017. I worked in several design studios as a Junior Designer or within an internship parallel to studying or other work. I’m currently working as a research assistant and still following my design career. I could not decide what I prefer because both things have their perks. And in the end, it is about your motivation to do something - and time management. In the end, you might want to have some private time, so managing your time and energy wisely might come in handy (if you want to know more about me, you can have a look at my CV). But enough for now about me, let's talk about you!
Why you should try it out!
Suppose you have a certain passion or motivation to try something. Maybe you have that one idea that you always wanted to open an Etsy shop or sell self-made candles on Instagram (or whatever). Or you want to try the whole “being self-employed” out and don’t know where this ship might be sailing. Whatever reason it might be for you, I want to tell you it is okay and possible to do both. Either if you want to transition between one of them or find out that you actually enjoy both.
But why is that so important for me to tell you? Well, if this encouragement means that you will follow your dreams just a tiny step, I'm very happy.
Waiting doesn’t bring you anywhere, and also talking to yourself that you can’t do it - you will figure it out eventually. And even if you realize that full-time or freelancing is not for you. Even that is an accomplishment that probably many in their lifetime never reach.
I wouldn’t quit either of my jobs, so I’m happy where I am now until I’m not and need to make a change. Doing both is something I probably won’t do for a lifetime. But for now, it is the right amount to keep me going. It is and will be, at some point, exhausting. But what isn’t?
No matter what decision you make, the most important thing is to do your best every time you can. That’s why I finally started this account and a blog to share my journey with you, tips and tricks, and best practices. I will link helpful blogs, accounts, or videos for you to check out, and if you find something interesting, you can comment below. I’ll be happy to take a look at it.
In the end, I want you to be part of a community where we help each other become the best version of ourselves. If you wish to be a freelancer, do both or just one thing. That's entirely up to you.
Sources: [1] Pascoe, K. (2019): What’s the Difference Between Being Freelance and Self-Employed?
And does it matter? URL: https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/whats-the-difference-between-being-freelance-and-self-employed-f2bd6766d4cd
[2] statista (2021): Number of self-employed people in the European Union (EU27) from 2011 to 2020. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/946989/self-employed-persons-in-eu/
[3] statista (2021): Number of full-time employees in the European Union (EU28) from 2002 to 2020. URL: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1197123/full-time-workers-in-the-eu/
[4] Chan, V. (2021): How I Built 9 Income Streams by age 25. URL: https://youtu.be/EUM4aHxyTO4
[5] Tseung, S. (2021): From $30k/Year to Millionaire by 30 (My Financial Freedom Journey). URL: https://youtu.be/MZDiSLVtEtY