I’ve been rather stressed lately, but I would have to say it’s worth it.  Working for yourself can present a number of advantages and freedoms that you don’t have at a traditional job.  There are also a few disadvantages to consider as well.

Cons:

1. No health insurance (at the moment)
2. No unlimited Metro Card paid for
3. No paid vacation
4. No steady paycheck on the 1st and 15th of each month
5. No unlimited free coffee

Pros:

1. The opportunity to make as much (or as little) as I want
2. The ability to spend time learning new skills
3. The option to choose where I work and how I situate my working environment
4. Not having a boss
5. Naps
6. Having the freedom to go to any, all, or none of the conferences and seminars that relate to my work
7. Best of all: the complete freedom to work when and if I feel like it

I think the most difficult part of working for yourself is creating a steady stream of work and income.  When you have a job, it’s a comfortable feeling to know that you’ll have a certain amount of money direct deposited into your account on the 1st and 15th of each month.  This allows you to create a lifestyle that revolves around how much you earn.

On the other hand, your income can be severely limited when working for someone else.  If you’re an all star, you may or may not get a raise and/or bonus at the end of the year.  If you’re working for yourself, you have the ability to determine how much you make.  It’s a tough jump to make.  So many people think, “You know, I’m such an incredible designer… I think I’ll start my own company.”  Few fail to realize that being incredible at design doesn’t mean being incredible at business development.

My favorite part of working for myself is that I can work when I want to.  There are some mornings and afternoons when I’m just not feeling it.  At a job, it’s hard to walk up to the boss and say, “Hey… I’m gonna bounce — not really feeling it today.”  When you work for yourself, you can say to yourself, “Hey self, take a break or a nap — come back and try again later.  If you still aren’t feeling it later, take a walk, clear your mind, and try again tomorrow.”  We all have days like that.  It’s not always best to just power through that with some bad coffee from the break room.

For anyone working at a traditional job and wanting some of the luxuries of self employment, they’re very much there to be enjoyed.

1. For starters, ask if you can come in early and leave early.  It’s a wonderful feeling to leave a job at 3:00pm while everyone else is in the afternoon-after-lunch comatose.
2. You can also ask for personal development time.  Google is always mentioned as a leader when it comes to letting their employees spend time learning and developing new skills.  Many of their best products like Gmail and Google Maps came from this.  Ask your boss for one morning or afternoon a week for some R&D time.
3. Ask to work at home one day a week.  They might say no.  They might also say yes.  I was given two days a week at home when I asked.  It absolutely changed my life.
4. Ask to be sent to cool conferences and seminars.  Let your boss know you’ll report back to the group and offer to present your findings.  It’s a small price to pay for a week out of town and a lot of learning and networking.
5. Suggest new ideas and new projects that you’re interested in.  Work is so much more fun when you’re working on ideas that rev your engine.

I’ve only been on my own for about a year, so I’m still learning new things every day.  I hope I keep learning new things every day forever.