I've been considering freelance writing as a possible full time career option in the event that my hubby decides to start his residency training somewhere outside Cagayan. That means I'd have to resign from my current work as a school physician and lose reliever stints as a company doctor, to accompany him wherever he plans to train. I thought, online jobs might save me from possible joblessness because it would be difficult to find work for doctors like the ones I have now, that wouldn't entail 24 hrs duty. I definitely have no plans of going back to the zombie life once more.
When I browsed around for freelance outsourcing websites, I noticed there were a lot of open projects for writers but the pay can get as low as $1 an article, with expected turn around of 5-10 articles of 200-500 words per day. And these are not mere rewriting jobs but works containing original contents. Its not like you can write whatever's on your mind, right? It's not even a personal blog. You have to carefully study the topic assigned, process your thoughts before hitting the keyboards with words that actually make sense. Since I'm relatively new to this field, I'm not sure if it's easier for seasoned writers to effortlessly produce multiple articles like living factories.
Since most freelance websites hire their employees by bidding, the one who bids the lowest pay gets the job. Amazingly, there are people who can bid as low as .50 cents per article just to land the job. Are times really this hard up? Are they worth that low? This situation tolerates buyers/employers into offering jobs with very meager pay. The provider comes across as a beggar who will take anything, just to survive. Heck, beggars in our streets even require a minimum of one peso from willing donors. But these writers are supposedly professionals who spent years on education to be able to pull off a sensible article.
Maybe if I don't have the convenience I am presently enjoying in my current jobs, I might actually give in to the pressure of taking whatever is there. But good Lord, I hope it doesn't come to that point. That would probably be the time when I'd rather go full time into make up artistry, or whatever job that respects my skills and knowledge.
2 comments:
It can definitely be discouraging when you look at the bidding sites. While I started there, I've moved on to projects where I interact directly with clients. It means I can get paid a lot more and have to bargain less! Good luck if you do end up freelance writing. It's a challenging and interesting job!
it's a good thing that you were able to move on to better paying projects. i hope i get decent earnings if i pursue freelance writing. thanks!
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