爱思英语编者按：自由职业是指摆脱了企业与公司的制辖，自己管理自己，以个体劳动为主的一种职业，譬如律师、自由撰稿人、独立的演员歌手是也，推而广之，似乎将大街上练摊的小商小贩也为作此类，他们是同样的没有“组织”者。

在我开始成为全职自由职业者的是时候，多多少少是在跟随别人的足迹，别无其他。自由职业最让我动心之处在于它的简单易行，尤其是当我可以通过一台电脑和互联网完成任务的时候。但如果这是你目前希望开始自由职业的唯一理由，那么你错了。

For me, when I started freelancing full-time, it was (somewhat) the case of following others, more than anything else.What struck me most was the ease with which freelancers work, especially, if one could get everything done with the Internet and a computer. But if that’s the only reason you want to become a freelancer then you’re in for a bad time.

之前我们曾有过一篇文章：《进入全职自由职业的9点须知》，如果你读过这篇文章，会对自由职业将会面对什么有所了解，但自由职业不是一条适合所有人的路径。这不是在打消你成为自由职业者（兼职或全职）的念头，本文的主旨在于给出若干开始的理由。

Earlier we had an article about 9 things you should know about going into full-time freelancing, and if you have read it you would know that despite what freelancing has to offer, it’s not a career path for everyone. It’s not that we are discouraging you from taking up freelancing (full-time or partime), in fact the point of this article is to give you reasons why you should give it a go

自由职业的第一个理由：

The first reason why you should try freelancing is…

1、满足你的创意冲动

1. To Satisfy Your Creative Impulse

很多人生来富于创意与天赋。他们很渴望以某种方式展示自己的才干，然而面对一份朝九晚五的工作，却鲜有展示天分的舞台。

Many individuals are just born creative and talented. They usually have a great desire to exhibit skills in some form, yet in a normal desk job, it’s rare that they could ever find a platform to showcase their talent.

例如，一名在软件公司工作的设计师可能会有很好的设计创意，但他却不一定有机会付诸实践。因为他被工作范围或项目需求所限制。大多数情况，即使设计师说服团队图尝试新的创意，得到的答案也常常是“这过于新颖了，现在还不该尝试”，你一定听过这话吧？

For instance, a designer working in a software firm may come across a great design idea, but there isn’t really a chance to try the idea out since he has to work within the confines of his jobscope or the project requirements. In most cases, even if he were to suggest that the team tries his new idea, more often than not, it’s just "not the right time to try something so new" – give me a show of hands if you have heard this.

别抓狂，继续下去！

Don’t Get Mad, Get To Work!

遇到这种情况，你可以让自己的点子在自由职业中得到应用：做一个好的范例，并放到你的作品集中，或者把点子记在“创意手册”中，也可直接全力以赴付诸实践，之后把它推荐到设计网站上或者参加比赛。

In this case, you can put your idea to good use in freelance: produce a good sample and put it in your portfolio, or keep the idea in your "Idea Book" for a chance to try it out in the future, or just go all out and make it, then feature it in design websites or enter it into competitions.

2、获得附加收入

2. To Obtain Added Income

半辈子都在抱怨收入，大有人在。无论月薪高低，难免月光。如果你的工作不会占用你的太多时间，不如用业余时间执行自由职业的项目。

There is no dearth of individuals who spend more than half their life grumbling about low pay in their jobs. No matter what salary you draw every month, it usually runs out way too early. If your job isn’t taking too many hours out of your day, you can use your spare time to work on freelance projects.

侧面收入

Side Income

这是一种双赢：保持工作和收入，同时在圈子和熟人中寻找潜在的客户。

It’s a win-win situation: you get to keep your job and your benefits, and you can find potential clients for freelance work from your network of acquaintances.

相对于雇佣全职的艺术家，设计师，开发人员和写手，很多公司更偏向于和自由职业者打交道。你可以利用这种现象获得额外收益。

There are many companies that prefer to engage freelancers rather than employ a full time in-house artist, designer, developer or writers. You can take advantage of that and earn yourself some extra pocket money in the process.

推荐阅读：小窍门：如何得到更多设计订单

Recommended Reading: Tips to Getting More Design Projects

3、面对新的职业选择

3. To Open Up New Career Options

自由职业可以为你将来的专业道路提供帮助。这将强化你的技能，对那些理解能力强，希望学习新东西的人，将会有很大的空间。

Freelancing prepares you for a professional career ahead. It also harnesses your skills, and for those who catch on fast and who are willing to learn new things, the sky is the limit.

在最开始，你会发现事情的进展会比预期缓慢。说服别人尝试新东西并不容易，更何况是让客户接受并无名气的自由工作者。但当你逐渐建立自己的客户名单并成为一个领域专家，事情就会随之变得容易。

In the beginning, however, you may find that things may advance slower than expected. It’s not easy to convince someone to try something new, let alone pay for a freelancer who has yet to make a name of himself (or herself). But as you build your clientele list and become an expert in your field, things will indefinitely become way easier.

推荐阅读：在线工作者社交指南

Recommended Reading: Networking Guide For Individuals Who Work Online

自由职业的过程，将为你带来做爱做的事的机会（如果你还没有在做的话）。选择这种生涯，会给你更多机会去制定规则。

This opens up the opportunity to really do something you love (if you aren’t already doing it) and in this career choice, you can have a part in making the rules.

4、在家工作

4. To Work From Home

正是因为如此，自由职业具有吸引力；为能如此，很多人愿意在“工作”一栏填上“自由职业”。

This is what makes freelancing an attractive option to pursue, and the crucial factor that makes everyone want to fill in ‘freelancer’ as their occupation.

对于新手，在家工作会在很多方面为你省钱：路费，汽油，来去时间，买午饭以及维持工作关系的花费。

For starters, there are plenty of ways you can save on working from home: transportation expenses, money for gas (or petrol depending on where you come from), the time spent getting to and from work, buying lunch and other work-related expenses.

最棒的事（或许）在于，不用在再会，不用再面对办公室人际关系和种种闹剧。你只需要关注完成工作，并因此拿到报酬。

The (probably) best thing to come out of this is that there will be no more meetings, office politics and drama from the workplace. You get to focus on just getting the work done and be paid for just that.

5、想休假就休假

5. To Pick Up Holidays At Will

在办公室工作的人明白，想让老板准许休假是多么困难。对于自由职业者就不同了。在完成工作的前提下，只要别在接受后续的任务，便可以开始一个只有支配的假期。打包出发，和你的家人朋友去最喜欢的地方。

Those who have worked in the office know how hard it is for them to get their days-off approved from the bosses. It’s different for freelancers. Provided that you have completed your project, simiply don’t accept any new assignment for a self-imposed break from work. Pack your bags and slip to your favourite destination with your family or friends.

如果需要你返回工作，或者事出紧急，拿出笔记本和手机继续投入工作，就像你从未离开一样。假期由你自己说了算，出入工作状态，仅仅在于自己的决定。

If there comes a need to get back to work – a.k.a. an emergency – just whip out your laptop or smartphone and you can continue as if you have never left. It is up to you to make it your vacation fun, you get to decide where you want to tune in or tune out.

结论

Conclusion

请记住，自我的约束应当贯穿始终，在工作中，你应当处于这种约束之中。你可以宽容自己，但是要有合理的时间管理，并应当了解自己的底线，其他没有什么能阻止你。

Bear in mind that you need to have self-discipline to pull through, the kind of discipline that was imposed on you at the workplace. You can always be more more lenient with yourself, nonetheless and by having proper time management and knowing where to set your boundaries, there’s no stopping you.

尝试自由职业的五个理由，你是否茅塞顿开，大呼“这是我要的生活”？别急，下一篇文章会帮助你了解更多。

So there you have it, five simple reasons why you should give freelancing a try. Are you all hyped up and going "this is so the life for me", hold your horses. You might want to check out tomorrow’s post. Remember to tune in tomorrow.