The word freelance may not mean the same thing to different people. Some would think that a freelance is an amateur. Others would disagree and would say that they too are professionals but without a direct boss except a client. Today, there are so many freelancers in the world especially with the virtual accessibility of the internet. Freelancers range from copywriters to web developers to web designers. If you are a freelancer, whichever industry you belong to, expect to always see two sides of the coin. This article singles out the advantages and disadvantages of being a freelance web site designer.

Advantages:

•    You work independently. Yes, you will be working alone. Web designers are most often graphic artists who have acquired skills in designing websites. These skills were developed due to a lot of practice with freelance projects and later became a talent.

•    Since you work alone, all that you earn will be yours. This is logical. A freelance web site designer will have to bill for himself and gets to share his income with no one.

•    A freelance web site designer usually has other jobs. Because you are freelancing, it means you can either do what you love doing professionally or part-time. You may be a student working to pay for your tuition fees and dorm room rental. If you have a 9 to 5 job, then perhaps your web site designing skills can help you with your savings. More often, it is not the client’s concern if you’re doing it full time or not. What you need to assure them is that you can do the job for them exceedingly well.

•    Freelancers are not amateurs. Just because you are one does not mean your work is substandard. You can be as equally as good as a pro. Amateurs sometimes give their services for free and have the stigma of mediocrity. Freelancers don’t have that. For some reason, freelancers are preferred by clients because this observation proved to be true.

•    Most clients prefer to work with a freelance web site designer because they are generally cheaper than professionals. That’s also probably because they work alone and don’t need to pay any office rent or manpower.

Disadvantages:

•    Working alone can also be tasking. You would have to do all the things by yourself and learn it by yourself. If you lack the skills in time management, you might end up burned out.

•    If you are a freelance web site designer and you have other responsibilities other than your client’s deliverables, you got to have a little bit of management skills as well. Multi-tasking is not easy and most often can eat up your time.

•    Although some clients prefer to work with a freelance web site designer, there are a lot of them out there. And since the rates vary, that gives your client more options. This is good for them and not so good for you.

As you can see, there are obviously more advantages to being a freelance web site designer. If this is what you hope to become but you think you’re not ready for it yet, you can start building your portfolio now. Try setting up websites for your friends and for yourself. Set up as many websites as you can but never sacrifice your quality of service. You can never underestimate the power of the word-of-mouth. Eventually you will start getting paying clients.