Why dabbling in short-term contracts is good for your freelance career

I’ve taken some short-term contract work which means I’m back to 9 to 5 this week. Michelle Goodman over at The Anti 9-to-5 Guide gives her run-down on the pros and cons of this:

Pros:

• Steady money
• Priceless experience that helps flesh out your resume
• Contacts you can use when you do go freelance later (or try to land a staff
  job with the company you’re temping at)
• Not having to attend most employee meetings or perform other maddening
  employee tasks (annual reviews, feigned enthusiasm for special projects)
  [...]

Cons:

• Commuting
• Dealing with office politics
• Commuting
• Getting treated like a second-class citizen because you’re not a “real”
  employee
• Commuting
• Being expected to hit the ground running, sans training (because you’re not
  a “real” employee)
• Commuting

I largely agree with her pros, but she’s probably missed out my main one:

short-term contracts are fun!

They let you try on another working identity for a bit, with very little risk. You can also use them as an opportunity to learn more about a particular industry, or observe people at the very top of their game.

But my cons would probably be different. For example, I’m not so bothered about not having training as I tend to learn best by getting stuck in. In fact, I like to think my hitting the ground running impresses those around me (granted, expectations can be pretty low) and gives me an air of mystery (i.e. “Wow! Who is that girl?!”). Especially as most of us like to think our job is much harder/more complicated than anyone else’s.

I don’t feel like I have to deal with office politics either as everyone knows I’m only on a flying visit – so when I invariably put my foot in it, I’m excused (of course, they don’t need to know I’d do that regardless of how long I’d been there). Plus, office ins and outs are SO much more interesting from with a bird’s eye view, and I notice the kinds of things that would probably pass me by if I were there everyday.

So, my revised cons list would be as follows:

• Commuting
• Losing my autonomy and flexibility, i.e. having to be at my desk for 9am, having to wear proper shoes, not really being able to dash outside whenever I fancy some fresh air, etc.
  Commuting
• Having to pretend all the time, i.e. that I’m bovvered about things that bore me senseless, that I’m not bovvered about things that I find pointless
• Commuting
• Not being able to talk out loud to myself (a thinking tactic I didn’t realise I’d become quite so dependant on…)
• Commuting

Like the true grindhopper I am, I still don’t know if I want to freelance forever. But thanks to my recent foray into the 9-to-5 marketplace, Tuesday will see me returning to my little home office with renewed enthusiasm and energy.

Bring it on!

About the author

Sarah Dillon is a qualified, accredited and experienced professional translator originally from Co. Clare in Ireland. She specialises in producing English-language texts that don't "sound" like translations, ensuring her clients' message has the desired impact in their overseas market. She is based in Brisbane, Australia and works with corporate clients, small businesses, agencies and nonprofit organisations all over the world. In her spare time, Sarah is also Marketing Director of eCPD Webinars.

Sarah Dillon has written 252 posts for There's Something About Translation.

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