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I completed three years as a freelancer. I even wrote a detailed issue on what I’d focus on if I start over again. But this piece isn’t the same.

I wanna talk more about what it means to choose an unconventional path - the tradeoffs, priorities, and all that comes with choosing your own path.

Most of my friends have traditional careers, and we often talk about what’s different. I learn many surprising facts about their work and vice versa. If you are like my friends and not aware of what it means to be a person with an unconventional career, a freelance copywriter in this context, I hope this issue helps.

I’ll keep this short, dropping ten-pointers. These are random, in no particular order. But before we get started on this, say hello to our sponsorrrrrr 👇️ 

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Is choosing an unconventional career path worth it? The points below might help you decide

1/ Career progression is tricky

It’s hard to know if you are in the right direction. Jobs have a hierarchy and chain of command. You don’t have it in freelancing. There are no promotions.

Growth potentially is exponential but again the same thing: you don’t really know if you’re moving in the right direction at the right pace. You need to have faith and keep marching nonetheless.

2/ The guy who gets the job done

One of the lessons I have learned the hard way is you can’t be just a contributor. You need to be the guy who GETS RESULTS.

You should do it over and over and build your portfolio so strong that no one questions your ability to get the job done (yes, I’ve quoted Harvey Specter.)

For long, I have just been a member of the team, an important member, a member who provides quality work, but that’s all I was. I realized you need to be more than that—you need to be a game changer whose presence is actually impactful. That’s the only way to make it big in the service businesses.

3/ The difference between a genius and a fool

I will tell you a funny thing about nontraditional careers. You are a genius who challenged the status quo, chose your own path, and worked hard to achieve your aspirations if you pull off success.

If you don’t, you are just a fool who should have listened to your elders and stopped chasing unrealistic dreams.

4/ Flexibility isn’t as fancy as you think

People see nomads, remote work, international gigs, no time tracking, etc., and assume life’s great. I am not complaining. These are all perks but there’s another side to it.

Routines and systems are hard to build. Socializing is difficult because you’re not exactly following a weekday-weekend schedule. There are no office hours. You will have to deal with unusual meeting schedules and deadlines. Holidays? That’s a joke. One might argue we can choose not to work when we don’t want to, but can we really do that? I don’t think so. You are answerable to your clients after all. This becomes more complicated if you’re in a creative profession—because you don’t feel the same energy and FLOW daily.

5/ Work = x; Talk = 10x

You have to promote yourself shamelessly. It is a crucial facet of getting more work and building a name/brand for yourself.

You can’t do good work and be all awkward. Being non-vocal about proof of work is not a choice anymore—especially when you see less skilled folks doing average work get more gigs with good marketing.

6/ You are your boss, cheerleader, and villain

You will first experience what it feels to work on your terms and as they call it, ‘be your own boss.’ It’s a good feeling, ngl.

Then comes the tough times and the situations demand you become your cheerleader. Having friends who understand what you go through is a plus, but it’s still you with your thoughts at dusk.

The third, perhaps the most important phase that most of us fail to notice is you also become your villain. Some symptoms include getting too comfortable, taking perks for granted, tardiness, and avoiding priority tasks. Hmm. I did them all.

7/ You don’t know how to answer the ‘when’ question

People often ask you, ‘when is this sustainable enough that you actually make a living from this?’ (hint: society usually calls this settling down.)

Trust me it’s a tough question to answer. You just know things will work out if you keep at it and you also know you are good at what you do. You need more time, guidance, and experience to be where you aspire to be, but you don’t know when will it happen.

It can be sooner than expected. Or late. You don’t know. You can’t answer.

8/ Some take off. Some get there slow. Some drop midway.

One - I have seen people who got their first big break after a few months of freelancing, if not days. Things escalate quickly for such folks and you don’t even notice how quickly they reach the top.

Two - Everyone doesn’t get the big break, so they improve themselves incrementally to reach the top one day.

Three - Adding to the previous line and circling back to the ‘when question’, most folks don’t see a point in persistence, so they drop unconventional paths midway to pursue other careers or safer options.

You can be anyone among the three. That’s the reality.

9/ Envy, insecurities, and self-doubt are real

You feel you deserve better than the people around you. You feel you are not good enough. You question if you have made the right choice. It’s all real and inevitable.

You will have to deal with it at some point—more like multiple times—and that’s the price you pay for picking a route different from the traditional ones.

10/ It’s not for everyone

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you can’t do it. What I mean is every career has certain tradeoffs and non-negotiables.

For example, I enjoy writing. That’s what I want to do all day. But if I have to build a successful freelance business, I should be okay working on non-negotiables like invoicing, reaching out, operations, etc.

Now that’s a tradeoff to build the freedom I like. Can I do it year after year without feeling out of place decides if it’s for me or not.

That’s what I mean when I say, It’s not for everyone.

End notes or something?

Honestly, I enjoy what I do. Not all times but yes.

Will I keep enjoying it? I don’t know. Will I be successful at it? I hope so.

All I can say is, “This feels right at the moment and I’m not being all emotional; there is some logic and practicality to it. As long as I enjoy doing it and it pays for my bread and butter, I keep pursuing this unconventional career.”