If late nights and a bit of instability don’t intimidate you, it may be time to start freelancing.
如果深夜工作和生活充满不确定性你都不怕，那么是时候开始做自由职业者了。
I’ve been writing more and more lately about how people all over the world arefreelancing to make a living. In recent years it’s become more economical for companiesto findas well asmanage their freelancers.Roughlya third of the U.S. workforceengaged in some amount of freelance work last year.
最近我写了很多关于世界各地的人们是如何做自由职业者谋生的，近年企业雇佣和管理自由职业者为他们贡献价值变得越来越规模和经济化。去年大约有三分之一的美国劳动力从事了一些自由职业者的工作。
However, most of these people just freelanced on the side, driving for Uber or doing some design to supplement a regular income.
然而，这些人当中的大多数人仅仅是做一点点兼职，有的人为Uber开车，或者做一些设计来支撑日常收入。
Freelancing full time is a much more daunting prospect and requires significant thought before going ahead. Here are some ways to know if you’re ready.
全职的进行自由职业工作是一项非常艰巨的任务，在进行之前需要有深刻的思考。这里有一些方法可以知道你是否准备好了。
1. You’re Self-Motivated（自我激励）
This is the hardest part of freelancing for many people. In a traditional job you are accountable to a boss. As a freelancer, you spend a lot of time accountable to yourself. You must have the drive and discipline to find new clients, stay on track with deadlines and collect on payments.
对于许多人来说，这是自由职业中最难的部分。在传统的工作中，你要对老板负责。作为一名自由职业者，你要花很多时间对自己负责。你必须有动力和一套可行的方案去寻找新客户，并保证在首付款日期上有一个持续良好的记录
A lot of the successful freelancers I’ve seen were once bosses themselves, so they have the experience and knowledge to just apply it to their own work. In the competitive San Francisco Bay Area where I live, high levels of success often depend on just how much of a self-motivator you are.
我所见过的许多成功的自由职业者都曾是老板所以，他们可以将自己拥有的经验和知识应用到自己的工作中去。在我居住的旧金山海湾地区，高水平的成功往往取决于你有多大的自我激励。
2. You Value Dollars Over Benefits（你更注重近金钱而不是福利）
Since employers don’t have to pay freelancers benefits or payroll taxes, they generally command a higher hourly rate than full-time employees. That means you have to have a plan to get health insurance on your own and it means budgeting to save enough to pay taxes come April.
由于雇主不需要支付自由职业者的福利或各种税，他们通常比全职员工的每小时工资都要高。这就意味着你必须有一个自己的计划来获得健康保险，这意味着要在4月到来的时候节约足够的预算。
（ps: 在中国做自由职业者，一定要记得给自己上医疗，社保等）
3. You Value Flexibility Over Security （你更倾向弹性工作而不是稳定）
Freelancers have more flexibility to work on the projects they want and go about their work in the manner they prefer. On the flipside, since their income relies on always finding new clients or getting more work from existing ones, they can go from making lots of money to very little in a short time. You have to have a high tolerance for instability at times. Freelancing certainly isn’t for everyone.
自由职业者可以很灵活的安排他们的项目，并按照自己喜欢的方式去工作。另一方面，由于他们的收入依赖于不断寻找新客户或从现有客户那里得到更多的工作，他们可以从短期内赚到很多钱。你必须对不稳定有很高的容忍度，毕竟不是每个人都愿意成为自由职业者。
4. You Want To Make A Career Move （你想要转行）
Maybe you’ve realized that you started down the wrong career track, but now it’s hard to get started in the new career you want to pursue. I’ve known a lot of people who support themselves by freelancing while they explore a new career path. Freelancing can also be a good way to get your foot in the door, gaining experience and making connections with people in your desired industry.
也许你已经意识到你的职业生涯开始走上了错误的道路，但是现在你很难开始新的职业生涯了。我认识很多人，他们在探索一条新的职业道路时，通过自由职业来支持自己。自由职业也可以是一种很好的方式，可以让你的脚踏入你想从事行业的大门，获得经验，和相关行业的人建立联系。
5. You’re A Jack-Of-All-Trades （你是一个万事通）
Some freelancers succeed by nailing down a specific skill, but many are able to quickly learn and adapt to new projects. If you love variety and pick up new subjects quickly, you might have what it takes to freelance.
一些自由职业者可以非常清晰的找到一个点，并且能够快速学习并适应用到新的项目。如果你喜欢各种各样的东西，很快就能找到新的主题，那么你可能就有了自由职业者所需要的东西。
6. You Crave Opportunity Now（你现在渴望机会）
Corporate cultures tend to have an ingrained hierarchy and seniority can play a big role in advancement. There’s no such hierarchy in the freelance world. If you can show you have the skills, you can get the job. Freelancers might find themselves taking the lead on projects they would never get to touch as an employee in a company.
企业文化往往具有根深蒂固的等级制度，而资历可以在晋升中扮演重要角色。自由世界里没有这样的等级制度。如果你能展示你的技能，你就能得到这份工作。自由职业者可能会发现，自己在一个公司里永远不会接触到的项目中处于领先地位。
7. You Create Your Own Community （你建立了你自己的社群）
One big concern that keeps people from freelancing is that they’ll become isolated, spending all day at home on the computer and not being part of a work community. In order to live a balanced, happy life as a freelancer, you have to be able to build a community for yourself, whether that’s through friends, family or connecting with other freelancers. Meet people you talk to online in person if you can. Stay in touch with friends through Skype, G-chat and Facebook. Attending networking events is also an effective way to build relationships, both personal and professional.
让人们远离自由职业的一大顾虑是，他们会被孤立，整天呆在家里，而不是工作社区的一部分。为了过上一种平衡、快乐的自由生活，你必须能够为自己建立一个社区，无论是通过朋友、家人，还是与其他自由职业者建立联系。如果可以的话，可以和你在网上聊天的人见面。通过Skype、g-chat和Facebook与朋友保持联系。参加社交活动也是建立人际关系的有效途径，无论是个人的还是专业的。
8. You Like Big Vacations (And Don’t Mind Late Nights)你喜欢完整的假期(不介意熬夜)
The beauty of being a freelancer is that it’s much easier to get vacation time than you could as a traditional employee. Just stop taking new jobs for a while. You can even work remotely if you absolutely have to get something done while on vacation. One of the downsides? Unless you’re supernaturally disciplined, the work may pile up on you at some point and, from time to time, you will end up having to work until the wee hours of the morning to hit deadlines.
作为一名自由职业者的美妙之处就在于，比起传统的员工，获得休假时间要容易得多。不用再找新工作了。你甚至可以远程工作，如果你在度假的时候一定要做些事情。有个缺点?除非你是天生的自律，否则工作可能会在某一时刻堆积在你的身上，有时你会不得不一直工作到凌晨，直到最后期限。
9. You’re Confident（你很自信)
A full-time freelance career is not for the faint of heart. You have to commit, and be assured in your own ability to win new clients, deliver strong work and be able to pay the bills. It’s hard to convince potential clients to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.
一份全职的自由职业并不适合心脏不好的人。你必须做出承诺，并确保自己有能力赢得新客户，提供强有力的工作，并能够支付账单。如果你不相信自己，你很难说服潜在客户相信你。
10. You’re Passionate（你充满激情）
There are plenty of good reasons to freelance full time. However, ask just about anyone who’s taken that path, and they’ll give you the same answer. They want to do what they love and freelancing was the best way to follow that path. The best freelancers love their work and do it with passion.
有充分的理由全职去做一个自由职业者。当然，只要问问那些走这条路的人，他们就会给出同样的答案。他们想做自己喜欢做的事，而自由职业则是最佳方式。最好的自由职业者热爱他们的工作，并满怀激情地去做。
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