Freelancing Virtually / Online

I am a ten-year Virtual Freelance Veteran. Virtual is just another way of saying “online”. I happen to be partial the word “Virtual” because this is a time when we are connecting “virtually” with millions of people across the globe for thousands of reasons.

I started freelancing online approximately ten years ago when there weren’t as many people hiring, or really comfortable with hiring, people to work from home for them that they had never even met.

But I never could stand the 9-5 grind, the corporate prison, the just mundane-give your life to someone else for a few dollars living. I was a full-time paralegal for many years, and I loved it, it’s definitely a natural callilng for me but it still fit into that description – especially if you were with a large firm.

I started dibbling and dabbling with the idea of working online from home. Started looking for jobs and projects, landing a few here and there. Eventually I became a pro at writing the winning proposal to get whatever job I wanted. After working full-time as a paralegal and part-time at home filling different position and project needs for a while, I got comfortable enough to just take the plunge and forget about the 9-5 scenario altogether.

I’m also a mom of two boys and quite frankly they have busy schedules with sports, school events, etc. and quite frankly, I like to sleep in! I always HATED to get up at the crack of dawn to get to my job on time, after fighting traffic. I’ve never been an early morning person.

So the idea of working from home, creating my own schedule, ditching the whole fight traffic scenario, saving gas from commuting, waking up later than the crack of dawn, making all of my kids events without having to get permission from work to leave, etc. was enticing enough for me to just dive in and make it work.

I had been doing it part-time for a while, feeling it out, learning how and where to get the jobs, perfecting my proposals, making a name for myself, going through the whole mistake-n-learn process for long enough. I felt I had my feet wet enough and i could do it. So I did.

After catching flack for being out of work for SURGERY for crying out loud from my firm (not my boss, he was awesome, but the admin people), I said screw this…they don’t really give a damn about me or my life and I’m over it. Though my living was comfortable, I’m not sure my worth, health, kids, life, etc. is compensated for quite enough to keep dealing with this.

So, off I went to do my own thing. And I’ve been successfully doing it every since. Working from home for MYSELF, getting the jobs and projects I WANT, creating my own schedule, being able to be home when my kids get home from school, never missing an event of theirs and working in my PJs.

And I can’t really even say I do it full-time because I don’t even work 40 hours a week but I make enough money you would think I did.

As a matter of fact, I haven’t done any work at all today – but I bet my bills are still paid!

I work totally from home on a variety of projects. I am a Virtual Assistant/Office Manager for a very successful Internet Marketer, have a few other people that I do sporadic work for, and I pick up random jobs as I go. I also do some consultant work in the field of working at home/working online. I manage a few websites and I manage my day-to-day life, my kids and my dogs!

So, in short, that’s my story.

I look forward to posting more about my journey, working from home for real employers, the facts and myths of freelancing virtually, tips, and creating a relationship with those of you doing the same thing or trying to do the same thing =)

Karen J