Quitting My Job in My Mid-30s and Becoming a Freelancer
Last June, I left my job of 10 years and went independent.
Actually, before quitting, I had two years of experience taking on side projects on Kmong, and my monthly income had started to pick up, so I gathered the courage. But the first three months were truly nerve-wracking. I never knew that not having a fixed monthly salary would be this scary.
Now I'm living with my own routine.
1. Wake up at 7 a.m., work fixed hours from 9 to 11 a.m.
2. Schedule client meetings only on Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings.
3. After lunch, deep work until 5 p.m.
4. In the evening, work out and just organize the next day's tasks.
The biggest difference in freelancing is that you have to handle everything on your own. There's so much to keep an eye on—health insurance premiums, retirement pension, income volatility. Still, I have no regrets about starting. Whenever I meet people who are thinking about going independent, I always tell them to try landing that first client. That's where the sense of stability begins.
7 answers
Wow, that's amazing lol. I've been thinking about quitting too these days, and this gives me courage.
If you started after having side gig experience on Kmong, wouldn't that be a bit different? If you really start freelancing from scratch, most people end up failing...
Don't forget to switch your health insurance to local subscriber status, and for your retirement pension, you'll need to open a personal IRP account and contribute to it. If you plan to stay a freelancer long-term, you need to pay attention to these small details.
What's the source?
I also started something similar in my early 40s, and I'm now entering my third year. The routine you mentioned really does seem to be key. I started without a morning routine and struggled for a few months.
Only 5 hours of deep work? lol Freelancers have to work twice that long to earn a living.
I completely relate to the story about your first customer. I was also anxious every day until I got my first client. The words about having no regrets about starting really resonate.