Choosing between the stability and comfort the 9–5 life offers vs the excitement and uncertainty that comes with freelancing can be a very difficult decision to make.

The honest truth is that it’s not easy. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. To earn a decent income and live a comfortable life.

Today, we (Ifeoma & Aisha) will share our personal stories on this topic and we hope you can learn something from it. 🧡

Ifeoma’s story

Hi, it’s Ifeoma here and I absolutely love freelancing.

I knew a 9–5 would be a nightmare right from high school. I was always late because my sleeping pattern was to stay up all night then sleep all morning. 😂 I struggled to get out of bed at 6 am every day and that’s also the time my dad used to wake up for work. My mum, on the other hand, is a businesswoman so she never had to rush out for work and I envied her.

I love to do things at my own pace, which usually isn’t the case when you’re working a 9–5. Another reason to choose the freelance life was how hard I found working with groups of people. When I was in Uni, I decided to develop skills to enable me to work from home for the sake of my sanity.

Pros:

🤑 Work with multiple companies at a time and earn more money by month-end
🏡 Work from your comfort zone & save on transport costs
👩🏾‍💻 You set your own rules for how work will be done
👭🏾 You can choose who you work with

Cons:

💰 Inconsistent cash flow
😔 Feeling scattered and unfocused also lacking structure
🤕 No one to back you up when you are sick
😰 Attending to several clients can be mentally draining

Aisha’s story

Hey, it’s Aisha and I can’t live without structure.

I’ve always loved (and in fact), needed the certainty that comes with a steady paycheck. Outside of that, I love being able to track my progress with a brand over time and I don’t think freelancing necessarily affords me that much time. I still take on freelance projects as side gigs, but my main source of income is a salaried job.

To be honest, I love structure in all areas of my life. From automating my day with calendars and to-do apps to planning my finances far ahead into the future. I can’t do that properly as a freelancer, so it’s a no from me ✌🏾

Pros:
💸 Consistent funds
👭🏾 Work (and grow) with a team
🌍 Access to a wider network of people and opportunities
💁🏾‍♀️ Personal branding (name-dropping a popular company mid-conversation can be cool)

Cons:
😰 Going to the office every day is stressful and finding a remote job can be difficult
🏢 Dealing with office politics is the worst
✍🏾 You may have some limits to your creativity to fit the brand
⌚️ Hardly any time for yourself

There you have it! What’s your story? Are you freelancing or working a 9–5? Share your story with us on Instagram and let’s chat! 😊