The Freelance Backup

Some of this I spoke about a couple posts back but it bears repeating to those of us working under the Freelance title. It can be a hard road, that we all know. What can sometimes come as a surprise is the manner in which we go from job to job. As a Freelancer we should be of the mindset that no job is permanent or even semi-permanent. But this can sometimes be hard to keep in mind when you are working on a long job or even one that has been consistent of late. I have run into this very problem.

Working Hard, or Hardly Workin?

It was a pretty good deal for a while. The work was not the easiest in the sense of $ per word but the work was consistent and that is what I cherished. After spending a few months chasing work and going from job to job I found myself working for someone who had consistent work, paid on time (twice a week), and always paid! In this line of work that can often be blessing when found.

I enjoyed the work. I won't say that I liked it because it could get rather tedious at times. But it was better than the alternative. The alternative was just a bunch of different jobs. Searching for jobs and chasing leads. It paid but it was not consistent and it was not fun. This job I had found however was consistent and that is what made it somewhat fun and easy. I enjoyed knowing when I had work and when I would be paid. Then I made the mistake that we all make sometimes, I began to count on that pay check. That was mine.

Two weeks ago I should have seen something coming, but I think I refused to believe it. Two weeks ago was the first time a payment came in late. It was about 24 hours late, but it came. That is why I continued to believe all was well. Then, slowly, the pattern of work started to change and then finally the well dried up. Now I might be jumping to conclusions here, but even if I am I would rather err on the side of caution.

Be Careful.

I have always had a list of good sources of work. In my bookmark toolbar (Firefox rocks) I have a folder called "Work Sites/Authoring" and within this folder lies the bookmarks for the sites I have tested. By tested I mean that I have an account and I have done enough work on each site to get a payment. In this line of work you always have to be careful and protect yourself. Any freelancer in any field will tell you the same.

So, I set out to protect myself a while ago. I did the research and I got into each of these sites long enough to get a payment. This way I could quickly find which sites were legit and which were just out for the scam. The sites that I stuck with I now use as a backup in case my consistent work dried up.

Guess what! Here I am. The work has slowed and I am now going through my so-called backups for work. You have to keep that paycheck rolling in. And that is my advice to others out there. There is nothing wrong with sticking in one place for a bit. But, you have to make sure you have a back up plan in case something happens. It does not matter what that plan is, and for most people it is different. But have something. You will never know when things might change on you in a flash!