COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY

Mark Hafer

Instructor Clark

ENGL 101

4 November 2019

Which is better: Working in Office or Being a Freelancer?

Whether you are stuck in the cubicle thinking about the end of your shift or getting tired of sitting at home, thinking about getting a full-time job to get a guaranteed paycheck, this essay will hopefully guide you in making the right call. Also, I will try to clear your doubts if you have just qualified your examination and you are thinking of leaning our livelihood through honest means. The following discussion will be making a few assumptions. First, the salaried employee is working on a contract job with a single company and they are getting a regular paycheck, whereas the Freelancers work from home for various clients.

The first wish that comes to anyone's mind while choosing their career is the wish for flexibility in their working hours. Everyone does not live in Scandinavia. An astounding number of employees in the world still do not have an eight-hour working shift. They are supposed to be available for office work for as long as needed by their employer. Most offices encourage their employees to remain in contact via email or work on public holidays for special allowances. Also, they face deadlines, commitments, strict dress codes and a couple of weeks if annual vacation at most, the latter being subject to the whims of the employer. People are encouraged to devote their time and energy to their office than to their families. These restrictions make the people charmed by the area of freelancing. A freelancer is much more flexible as he can dress the way he wants, work whenever he likes and enjoy the family life on his terms. True, the deadlines are a common area, but after meeting them, he can take as much rest as he wants or needs. The catch is that he cannot let the work pile up, or that rest will have to wait for a long time. This is where the office life is better. Being trained from the start of our lives makes it easy for us to work if someone manages it for us, as many cannot do so.

Another area that underlines a significant difference in both areas in the hazard of office politics. Brown-nosing and personality clashes are often present in every office. Instead of work, many employees succeed in getting a promotion by sugar-coating their bosses with their tongues. As a freelancer, one does not simply have to deal with office politics. It is since freelancers do not have a single boss. They just work on assignments and hand in their invoices for the job done. If it gets too much then a freelancer simply leaves a client and gets a new one. So, in most cases, people with a strong understanding of office politics enjoy working in-house. A salaried employee working inhouse has several other advantages as well, provided he survived the onslaught of office politics. There are benefits offered by their workplace like free health insurance, provident funds, pensions, parental leaves and leave encashments. Some office often organizes events for their employees like discounts at certain outlets, gym memberships, paid training sessions, and subsidized cafeterias. A freelancer cannot enjoy these comforts as he has to manage everything himself as no one is there to organize his working affairs. You have to plan your training and retirement plans. It is a price that the Freelancer has to pay for his freedom.

In short, it is up to you to choose your style of honest livelihood. There are always positive aspects and negative aspects of every concept under the sun. If you can keep yourself motivated to work hard and you hate being told what to do, then Freelancing is the way forward for you. But, if you like to keep a schedule, enjoy frequent interactions with your peers, and you like to enjoy security and stability in the future, then there is no better way to fare than a regular office environment. But before your choice, you should conduct a self-analysis, understanding your abilities and habit, so that you end with a better deal.