This whole piece is great, but the “From Management” hook is really clever and spot-on. Congrats on creating autonomy for yourself. That’s not an easy thing to do. I’m about to start full-time freelancing, and this has me even more excited about it.
That’s awesome Garrett! I have no doubt you’ll find success (and joy!) in running the show yourself. Best of luck, and if you ever want to chat about anything, feel free to reach out 🙂
Loved this piece! Extremely relatable, and I admire your decision to go off the beaten path. Best wishes with your continued extracurricular pursuits and I look forward to reading more :D
Really resonated with this, Emily! I love the clarity you showed in the choices and acknowledging the trade-offs, something I find myself pondering often too. Also – "Intentionally underemployed" is such a fantastic phrase!
I can’t take credit for that phrase (I wish I remember where I first read it) but it’s stuck with me ever since. A great way to reframe what is normally a word with a negative connotation, imo
"Without fail, every time I casually log onto LinkedIn to browse full-time roles “just to see what’s out there,” I end up slamming my laptop shut 20 minutes later with a renewed appreciation for my independent lifestyle."
lol relatable. And I wasn't part of the corporate world, but taking time to step away from living on a more traditional path, to reimagine what my life and relationship to work could look like is definitely everything. I don't miss the Sunday night dread 😌
Compelling, Emily. I jumped off the corporate org chart 18 years ago and there's no amount of enticement - money or anything else that would get me to return.
I especially liked this rhetorical perspective that will nail people if they're honest with themselves: "Everyone should have something that helps them crawl out of bed when their morning alarm goes off, and for most people, conference call marathons and inbox tsunami surfing ain’t it."
Happy to hear I’m not alone! And along those “being honest” lines, if I could give one bit of advice to my younger, cubicle-confined self, it would absolutely be that “Netflix is not a hobby”
Wow! I really loved this post! The beginning was super engaging, and I enjoyed not only hearing about your journey but also the tips on how to break up the monotony! Personally, I left my 9 to 5 over a year ago, and struggling to find "working freelance" whilst balancing the whole "financial freedom" things has been quite the burden but you know what, I'd rather have this struggle than the latter.
Is there career advice with a financial management angle for the freelance life? I've been job hunting in a bleak market and I wonder how much harder lead generation must be for freelancing + the unpredictability
I don’t have one specific source to direct you to, but anecdotally, I’ve found it much easier to find part-time/contract clients and projects as a freelance designer. Not sure if that applies to all roles/industries though.
This whole piece is great, but the “From Management” hook is really clever and spot-on. Congrats on creating autonomy for yourself. That’s not an easy thing to do. I’m about to start full-time freelancing, and this has me even more excited about it.
That’s awesome Garrett! I have no doubt you’ll find success (and joy!) in running the show yourself. Best of luck, and if you ever want to chat about anything, feel free to reach out 🙂
Thank you, will do!
Loved this piece! Extremely relatable, and I admire your decision to go off the beaten path. Best wishes with your continued extracurricular pursuits and I look forward to reading more :D
Really resonated with this, Emily! I love the clarity you showed in the choices and acknowledging the trade-offs, something I find myself pondering often too. Also – "Intentionally underemployed" is such a fantastic phrase!
I can’t take credit for that phrase (I wish I remember where I first read it) but it’s stuck with me ever since. A great way to reframe what is normally a word with a negative connotation, imo
"Without fail, every time I casually log onto LinkedIn to browse full-time roles “just to see what’s out there,” I end up slamming my laptop shut 20 minutes later with a renewed appreciation for my independent lifestyle."
lol relatable. And I wasn't part of the corporate world, but taking time to step away from living on a more traditional path, to reimagine what my life and relationship to work could look like is definitely everything. I don't miss the Sunday night dread 😌
It really is EVERYTHING. Man, do I have a million more thoughts on that front 😅
Love how this turned out! Awesome piece.
Compelling, Emily. I jumped off the corporate org chart 18 years ago and there's no amount of enticement - money or anything else that would get me to return.
I especially liked this rhetorical perspective that will nail people if they're honest with themselves: "Everyone should have something that helps them crawl out of bed when their morning alarm goes off, and for most people, conference call marathons and inbox tsunami surfing ain’t it."
Happy to hear I’m not alone! And along those “being honest” lines, if I could give one bit of advice to my younger, cubicle-confined self, it would absolutely be that “Netflix is not a hobby”
Wow! I really loved this post! The beginning was super engaging, and I enjoyed not only hearing about your journey but also the tips on how to break up the monotony! Personally, I left my 9 to 5 over a year ago, and struggling to find "working freelance" whilst balancing the whole "financial freedom" things has been quite the burden but you know what, I'd rather have this struggle than the latter.
It’s a rollercoaster at times for sure, but I’m with you!
Is there career advice with a financial management angle for the freelance life? I've been job hunting in a bleak market and I wonder how much harder lead generation must be for freelancing + the unpredictability
I don’t have one specific source to direct you to, but anecdotally, I’ve found it much easier to find part-time/contract clients and projects as a freelance designer. Not sure if that applies to all roles/industries though.
Thanks for sharing Emily! It's great to read public reflections like these :)