More and more people are beginning to think about transitioning into gig work. But it’s not all good; gig work comes with its challenges. Here are some of the pros and cons of being a gig worker so you can decide if it’s the right choice for you:
Pros
Options
As a gig worker, you have the ability to pick and choose which projects you work on. Of course, when you’re just starting out it may be difficult to be picky, but the more you prove yourself, the more discerning you can be.
Variety
When you’re a gig worker, you wear many hats. This does mean a lot of hard work that you may not be quite used to, like marketing or accounting, but it also means that you have a varied workday and will always be working on new projects and exploring interesting ideas.
Flexibility
Flexibility is often heralded as the best pro for gig workers. Gig workers have a flexible schedule that they can set, and they have the flexibility to work from wherever they want as well. This means you can build your schedule around your family if that’s a priority to you. It also means that you can forego a commute and instead work from a home office. If you find yourself distracted at home, you can also work from a coworking space or café.
Cons
Lack of training and support
When you’re a gig worker, you no longer have a built-in system of support like you would at a more traditional place of employment. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t build your own support. This may be harder to establish, but you can work on meeting mentors, going to training sessions, and educating yourself!
No benefits
As a gig worker there likely won’t be any benefits. There may be the rare case where you can receive certain benefits from clients, but it’s best to not count on it. This means you have to learn ways to budget and plan for insurance, taxes, and vacation and sick days.
Inconsistent
Gig work is unlike a traditional job in that you won’t be receiving a regular paycheck. This means that you need to have a significant safety net in case there’s a longer-than-comfortable stretch between gigs.
As you can see, gig employment definitely has great stuff to it, but it also has its cons. Have you weighed the pros and cons? Will you choose gig work? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If you’re a gig worker, consider sharing your work experience on UltiCareer’s survey to help others considering gig work get to know what your type of job is really like!
Collected from ulticareer
