Working as a Freelancer

If you've been a long-time reader of mine, you'll probably know that I have been working as a freelance even though I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Radiologic Technology. I started this career just a few months after I established Wild and Sassy Blog.

So how did I end up working as a freelancer? I did not pass the board examination for Radiologic Technologists so I decided to try other jobs for the mean time. I worked as an assistant manager for a bookstore near my place and I worked as a clerk at a hospital but both did not end well. I kept seeing 'Upwork' from my blogger friends and I gave it a try one day.

My Upwork profile got approved in just a few days so I immediately tried to apply. I was on week two when I got my first job. I was hired as an article writer for an online shop. I was really amazed at that time because that client still hired me even though I am new and I lack experience. I used this blog as my portfolio. As weeks passed by, I made more clients and I wrote like 10 articles a week. I wrote mainly for beauty, fashion, skincare, and eventually for food and home. As a newbie, I got really exhausted mentally. Haha! I was also shocked at how freelancing works. Like it is legit af! Haha! I should've known it in college so I could earn extra money. Haha. I only lasted three weeks as an article writer though. My mind couldn't take it! It is too overwhelming for me. Lol. Good thing it was per project/milestone so I didn't have long time contracts.

I applied for part-time virtual assistant and this is where I met my long-time client from a growth marketing company in the US. I started to work for them in late 2017. I managed their Facebook group which has a hundred thousand members and I also did data entry tasks for them. I was really thankful for landing on this job because I learned a lot from them. Most of the stuff I did for them was really new to me and they let me work in flexible hours. I was paid per hour in $. I also had other few data entry jobs alongside like I had a client from a law firm, etc. Haha.

I did not intend this to sound like a resume! Sorry! Haha.

Then earlier this year, I had another client and I worked as a full-time virtual assistant too for him. He owns an e-commerce fashion store based in France. I order and update stocks for him. I also did a few customer service tasks via email and it is the most stressing part. Haha! I worked for 8 hrs to 12 hrs a day, 6 days a week but in flexible hours. I was also paid per hour and in $. I get bored from time to time. Good thing I was able to manage my time and take a break in between. I can still remember when my co-worker, also a Filipina virtual assistant, told me when I was still new to the company that the VA prior to me only lasted for a day. Haha. The work at e-commerce shops can really be stressful tbh, but good thing I lasted. Maybe, I also like doing it. :)

But it is not always a good time. Just recently I lost my two clients. My first client just stopped communicating with me. Na-Bea Alonzo ako bes! Haha. I worked for a total of one year and two months for that client. I learned that his company had a major problem. My second client, on the other hand, dropped the news like a bomb. He will be establishing their physical office in Thailand so he is required to hire actual employees. I worked for four months for him. He even said that he wanted me to work with him in Thailand, jokingly or maybe not. Of course, I turned it down. It was too sudden. Working with him for four months is like a long time already since I was working full-time.

The first six months of my 2019 was a roller coaster ride for my working career but I have no regrets. I learned so much from my two clients and they praise most of the times which I actually never experience when I worked outside/in the corporate world. Since I am paid per hour in $ especially when I worked full-time, I was able to buy the things that I've been wishing for and I was able to travel last summer. I was proud of myself at that time. I was also able to buy a laptop when I first started, then my dream camera a few months after. In loan, ofc! Haha. But I am already done paying them before my clients are gone. Thank God! Looking back when I first started, I really learned a lot in working as a freelance and I experienced so many things as well. It helped me grow to the person who I am today. I never imagined myself working in a different field five years ago.

Working at home, online, is actually not a norm back in 2017 and I really had a hard time explaining my nature of work, with blogging alongside, especially to my family. They did not believe me until I bought my laptop and camera which means I am really earning. Haha! I also got tired of explaining to other people so I just told them I work at home and let them think what they wanna think. Haha. And yes, like the other freelancers, I work in pajamas sometimes (or most of the times?) too. Haha!

People might think that working as a freelance or working at home is EASY. They're wrong. It is just like other jobs. The only difference is that you do it at home but you have tasks and deadlines and some clients can be more demanding.

There are risks as well. I had a client when I was just new and I had no idea that there were scammers in Upwork. So if you are planning to apply there, never give your email and passwords. Do not apply if one of the requirement is to use a Team Viewer. This is just based on experience but it has a high risk of hacking your account/desktop. That client used Team Viewer to hack my accounts and get money from my Paypal. He also connected my Gmail to AdWords.

Anyway, I am back from the bottom. I am still trying my luck in getting a new client but things are not like before. Many people now tried this nature of work and applying is not easy nowadays. I am not sure if I would apply outside in the 'real' world but I am a bit hesitant because that would mean I will work full-time again and will commute to work. Hehe! But soon, hopefully, I can sort these things out! :)

It has been a while since I opened up on this blog. I feel like no one's reading blogs anymore. Haha. Most people are into Facebook and Instagram nowadays. Do you feel me? But blogging will always be my passion and I don't think I can let it go especially now that I am attached into it.

Anyway, have you tried working as a freelance or do you want to try it too?

Photo by Elsa Noblet