Freelance work / Being self employed???

[Amy09]

Um, okay, please don't think I am completely unrealistic for asking this question, but I just wanted to get some advice and hopefully stir up a conversation on this matter:

Has anyone ever thought about doing freelance work so that it is easier to manage dry eye problems and/or any other health conditions that are associated with dry eye?

I know there are many factors that must be considered when pursuing something like this (i.e. health insurance, enough money, etc.), but all I'm saying is that in ten years, if I am married and financially supported by my spouse- i would LOVE to consider being self employed. It would make having to take care of eyes and other stuff much easier if I could take breaks when I need to and not have to worry about an 8 to 5 schedule.

I'm doing an internship right now where I am in charge of an organization's blog and I LOVE it... for those of y'all that may not know, I've always been a fan of art, writing, and communications. Ideally, I would love to be a problogger/sell crafts on etsy/whatever else strikes my fancy 10 years from now.... hey a girl can dream, can't she?

[kitty]

I suppose it would depend on what your occupation is and how many hours a week you plan to work. I have been a self-employed healthcare consultant for about 12 years now. I can tell you that in my line of work, my schedule is not my own. I have to take care of the needs of my clients. Sometimes that means getting on the road at 6:30 am and not getting home until 12 hours later. I have reports due by the 10th of every month. I am able to space them out a bit, but generally I end up putting in way too many hours at the computer to get them done in time. As a self-employed person, the word "vacation" is not in my vocabulary. I really don't find it any easier to manage my DES working from home/as a self employed person than I do working for corporate America, which I also do. Be sure to give this a lot of thought, as the grass is seldom greener on the other side.

[calli66]

Amy,

I work mostly at home for our small family company. It's ideal for dealing with my dry eye and Sjogren's---much better than my previous job where I worked 10 hour days and got up at 5 AM.

It has it's drawbacks---working with family members, especially decision-making---is very emotionally taxing. Kitty's point about not being able to have regular Vacations is so true. We never seem to do it---always something coming up, some crisis, some deadline.

A big advantage, though, is that we have company health insurance. Within a small group, with some young members, that rates have stayed low, and I'm thankful for that.

My "ideal" self-employed job would be a freelance graphic designer. I wish I had gotten training for that when I went back to college. It's creative, and takes a relatively small amount of capital investment: a great computer and software. But of course, it requires the knowledge and experience in design, print media, advertising, a sizable client base, etc. It crosses over into web design, too.

So that would be my "pick," if I had a career to do over again. The only drawback would be long hours at the computer, but with moisture glasses and scheduling discipline, it could be done. (Reality Check comments welcome!)

C