So, is freelancing right for you?

Tips - for freelancers

As any other decision you got to consider the pros and cons before taking the step.

Take some time, look around, check is the pool you are going to jump into filled with water. Can you swim? And maybe the temperature is not right for you?

It is not always a jump
Sometimes a friend or an ex-employer asks you for a favor. Sometimes a client of your boss brakes with him, but appreciates your work and calls you in person, asking for a small support/upgrade, etc. Yes, these are small but if you are good in what are you doing and accept them, these offers become more and more until they consume all of your precious free time. Until you are unable to do your "official" job right and it's just the time to choose.

   Don't do this just because you are upset at your boss or frustrated. Be warned - freelancing could be harder. It's really better to change jobs instead of completely leaving your office career.

   Speaking of bosses and offices you may wander why it's necessary to have them at the first place.
   Well...    everyone needs to be an apprentice at the beginning.

you need to build skills till you become really effective
you need to do your failures while some else pays for them
you need to test yourself what do you like to do, what you don't and what are you able to
you need to build your personal contacts database - people you can trust and wish to collaborate with when needed, perspective clients, friends and foes
no matter what you think you just need to see and feel for yourself how is the business going and being made. Nothing beats the personal experience
to build self-discipline and self esteem. You'd really need them.

It may seem tempting, but very few of the successful freelancers had started as ones. Most often you simply won't make it if you lack the above. Competition is tougher than inside an office. If you think finding a job is hard, try to imagine doing this every day. And nowadays against people from all over the globe, not just your hometown (well as the clients, which makes the balance).

Pros

You don't have a boss
FREEDOOOMMM! You can choose your clients, can deny a project you you don't like it. Can not take a project if you feel lazy or got to have to take your child to a doctor. You can't get fired anyway and doesn't need to apologize.
Flexibility. Would you like working at night instead of getting f*ing early every damn morning just to lose hell of a time of your life riding on a jammed highway to see your boss's stupid face? Well, this could be just for you. You make your own shedulle... most of the time.
Savings. You won't have lots of the expenses a normal company has. A rent for an office (most of the freelancers arrange their workplace where they live), fuel/tickets to travel back and forth, the secretary's salary, your boss' expensive habits, shareholders' revenues, etc. These money come directly to you. (it's quite relative when it goes to taxes, insurance and software licenses).
It could be international. The net vanish the distances and enables you to work with people all around the globe. You can earn solid Euro while living relatively lavish in a cheap place. You can impress clients from Barcelona with New York trends and vice versa which earns you some fame amongst them (which also means easier and more money).
After accomplishing the project you owe nothing to the client. If you don't like him/her/them, you don't have to take any future projects of his. Or significantly increase your fees.
You could work naked if you like.

Cons

Every client becomes a boss
Lack of a safety net. If you lose your clients without getting new ones instead, fail in a couple of projects or your computer suddenly explodes you don't get incomes. As long as you actually have no regular salary the things with your bills, rents, mortgages and in some countries health insurance could become nasty.
Uncertainty. Sometimes you'd wish to have more work and get nervous because it hits your bank account. Sometimes the work is far too much for it's deadline, but you have to do it and preserve your reputation and the client.
Spendings (you'd have to do for yourself). Like software licenses and such. You'd have to deal with bookkeeping, accounting and management for yourself which could be pretty time consuming and faulty as these might not be your areas of experience where you are effective. Stuff that office workers usually forget about. It might be a better idea to hire another freelancer who is a specialist there.
Apart of the cultural differences there are social ones. You must be extra careful not to abuse anybody by a mistake.
Some clients (usually from rural regions in big countries with egocentric medias like Russia, USA and China) seem to really believe that the world abroad is a poor, filthy swamp filled with starving undereducated people and treat you like some kind of Untermench.
After paying, the client doesn't owe you anything too. He could choose another provider or simply don't have any work for you. And of course he/she would be more loyal to his own sla... employees in eyesight.
You could feel lonesome at a times.