Re:Why I'm moving on from freelancing and getting a job.
by adityars on Sunday September 08, 2013 @06:08AM
(#6348348)
I agree - freelancing is way better for learning.
After 9 years of jobs at large corporates, I shifted to freelance consulting for startups and small companies.
Working freelance keeps me on my toes.. Learning new technology and working with smart people who need to get things done under challenging deadlines. I usually end up learning a lot, and pushing myself to new limits.
In the unlikely event that I didn't enjoy working with the client (I am fairly selective), I can always walk away at the end of the assignment and don't have to feel trapped.
Between assignments, I usually end up taking short breaks to work on personal projects, learn and play with new technology or attend the occasional hackathon...
After several years of this lifestyle now, I have had no reason to ever look back...
But regarding: "You start wondering if your skills are deteriorating." I think he got that wrong. You can't imagine how much your skill-set deteriorates when you work at a company which has a specific set of tools you are allowed to use and everything is micromanaged by usually less than competent project management. If it wasn't for my freelancing projects I'd be stuck for the past 10 years with no new knowledge. What's worse is that sometimes you know that you can offer the client something better but for the good of the company its best that you don't - it makes you feel so bad in the end when a project finishes and you realize you didn't do the best you could because that choice was taken away from you.