Comments on: Open Thread: Likes and Dislikes of Web Work

By: Marina @ Sufficient Thrust

Marina @ Sufficient Thrust — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 19:23:50 +0000

As a corporate efficiency consultant, I work from home a lot but also have occasional on-site assignments where I work a 9-5 (or 7-7, more like it) for a couple of months straight. No matter how awesome the client, I always crave my home office heaven.

Likes: Getting to work at times when I'm most energized (I'm a night owl); not being distracted by 17 people recounting their weekends; grazing on fresh fruit and veggies from the fridge instead of being confined to a lunch break; not having to choose between bikram yoga class and making it to work on time.

Dislikes: I enjoy being surrounded by busy, rushed people, and my cats just don't cut it.

By: seb

seb — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:42:52 +0000

It's more work, client expect more when they hire a self employee, you can't just say, well I've worked 40 hours this week, i continue Monday. As for liberty, i don't think we have the same understanding, if working 7 days a week, but smoking, getting you feet lick by your dog and making some burgers for lunch is liberty, you missed something somewhere

Some self-employee work by the hours, some others by contracts; the second option is a nightmare, what if you have a bad project manger ? Sometimes, it's alot better having a steady relax job :>

By: Rob Sullivan

Rob Sullivan — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:48:17 +0000

Pluses, as stated – working when you want, where you want. Being able to say “heck with it, I’m taking today off.” Starting late and quitting early. Can make more $$.

Drawbacks – having clients say “I need that today” on the day you are leaving for holidays (and then waiting for 3 weeks before reading it :( ). Being my own collections department. Being my own sales department. Living from paycheck to paycheck during the summer. I find in my industry things dry up for July and August, but then I get super busy in September.

By: Tom Leverenz

Tom Leverenz — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:01:48 +0000

I went back to being "Johnny Punchclock" after a year and a half of working on my own and in my experience there are Pluses and Minuses to both.

I won't list the obvious freedoms or lack of interruptions associated with self-employment. The major drawbacks in my case were sending and collecting billings and (depending on the client) having to deal with clients constant nagging when they know you are always accessible.

I think many companies are not used to working with smaller outside vendors and think a self employed person can only handle one project at a time and at that time it just happens to be THEIRS.

I could go on but that's my two cent for now.

By: Cathy Moore

Cathy Moore — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:27:26 +0000

Speaking as a self-employed person at home:

Like: Creative control, higher standards, no politics, few interruptions, home-cooked food, charming dog, laptop in the garden

Dislike: Having to be my own IT department

By: JK

JK — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:21:22 +0000

Freedom rocks Solitude blows

...best writing I've done all day. (sigh)

By: Dan Cruz

Dan Cruz — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:45:18 +0000

I'd say the hardest part about web work is the solitude and the intense amount of focus required to get all your work done. As most of us know, it's quite easy to spend an entire day doing absolutely nothing...

On the plus side you just cannot beat the freedom working from home provides.

I know I said the solitude is a major drawback but in speaking with my friends who are still employees, it seems that they hate working with some of their co-workers as much (actually more) then I dislike working alone. Go figure...

At the end of the day I don't think I'll ever go back to punching a clock... I can always hire someone to just sit there and talk to me:-)