After graduating in 2006, I worked in corporate organizations both in the fields of academia and industry both in Turkey and abroad until the end of 2020. So I didn't have the chance to choose the projects I wanted to work on and the people I work with.
In my last few years, I've realized that my motivation is really up to making money. Or rather, I accepted the jobs for the reason that I worked to earn money.
I did good projects over these years, but those were the years when I said "enough, ufff" when the alarm went off in the morning, and I snoozed the alarm many times until I got out of bed, and finally barely went to the office at 10 o'clock.
My prejudices
The biggest barrier I faced when thinking about the decision to become a freelancer was my habits. The fact that my salary was gone into my bank account at the beginning of each month was a big factor and it was comforting to me. However, actually the biggest obstacle I had to solve was my prejudices.
The concept of "having a career from home" didn't have a prominent place in my mind until the pandemic. Working from home? Being made you feel like you were working, you had to have a card with your picture on it, your name, and that cool title. In the afternoons, had to go to that coffee shop during the one-hour break.
Experience
At the beginning of 2021, I founded my own company and continued to be a freelancer. I didn't want to work with people with whom my energy did not match. Moreover, I didn't like to make job offers on subjects I didn't like. Although I have no knowledge of what it is to be a freelancer, I learned the rules of this game within months.
Working as a freelancer allows you to work with multiple clients at the same time. It even provides the opportunity to work full-time or part-time in a company anywhere in the world. That's why I had to experiment to discover which situation was right for me.
During this year, I gave training to some university students outside of work. It was a very different experience to share my knowledge and tell the wrongs and truths I have done to young people who are just at the beginning of their life and career. More importantly, it was a luxury I attained in the 15th year of my career when a boss didn't come and question why I wasn't working at that hour.
Difficulties
I've been gone for about a year, and it hasn't been a happy year. My motivation dropped at times. I've experienced periods of anxiety in the past. However, I always knew that I could perform this job, even though I didn't believe I could. Seeing how far I've come as the months passed has always boosted my motivation.
You should try
It's not for everyone to be a freelancer and live that way. However, I believe that it is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their lives. Because it is a lifestyle that they will not know if it is suitable for them unless they try it.
The most important rule in this game is to recognize that the spending time varies from the amount of value generated, and to remember that you are always competing with yourself. The freelancer lifestyle is one that requires biases to be broken down; you'll never know if it's right for you unless you give it a shot!
Cha Cha is the name of the lovely girl in the middle of the cats in the photo below. I took it off the bonnet of my car before working as a freelancer. Rumba, the lovely young lady on the right; took it because Cha-Cha would not be alone at home.
Gauss is also the name of the gorgeous man on the left. I had it for about a month before working as a freelancer; when I acquired it, he was sick with pneumonia.
Alex is in the front and Pasteur is in the back one, of the two gorgeous men below. These two attractive gentlemen have cataracts in their eyes and have impaired vision. They are more likely to have cataract surgery after the age of 2-2.5 when their pupils stop developing. One of my aims as a freelancer is to bring these two attractive men into the light.
While catching Pasteur, he bit my hand, and I received three doses of rabies injections as a precaution. As a result of this, the name Pasteur :) Alex comes from Alex de Souza. Friedrich Gauss is the originator of the name Gauss. Cha Cha and Rumba were given their names because I enjoy dancing.
Most mornings, I wake up before the alarm (alarm 07:15); after a brief play with the cats, I enthusiastically proceed to the study. Every day that I work, I know that I am improving.
Freedom and the possibility of continuing progress, I believe, are the factors that motivate me. I know I'm on the correct path, even if I'll never fully achieve my objectives because they've expanded ahead of me as I've grown.
