Three months into freelancing as a Social Media Manager and I can already say that this is by far the best career decision ever. Although it falls far from my initial plans and the course that I took up in college, this career still made so much of my dreams happen. To top it off, I have the best clients ever. They care about my welfare, my mental health, and they make sure that I am valued and taken care of.
I never thought I’d go down this career path, because all my life I thought that I can only succeed in life once I am working as a humanitarian worker and making a difference on other people’s lives. Unfortunately, when I finally got a hold of that dream, it seemed that it wasn’t really how I thought it would be. It burnt me out and I was not able to do anything else outside work anymore. Asking myself if that was really what I wanted led me to the decision of finally trying to do freelance work.
Now that I am here, I am earning so much more than I ever did in all my previous jobs combined, but without the stress and struggle that came along with it. I am working from home, so I have enough rest and I have the luxury of time which I dedicate to me time and self-care. I am now also able to cook and bake more, which I really enjoy doing. I also thought I will be letting go of my dream to do community work for good, that I will have to accept the fact that the dream was not for me, but turns out I now have more time to make that dream a reality.
Earning more means that I can give more and working remotely means that I have more time to do the volunteer work that I used to commit a lot of my time to when I was younger (with less responsibilities). This is probably the best part of shifting my career path. Who would have thought that there will be another way for me to live my dreams? I will forever be in awe of how God redirects me. His plan is really the best plan.
Along with this, I also have more time to manage our two businesses. I created a daily time block so that I can do everything without burning myself out. I am amused of how much work I get done in a day and how much time I still have for myself and my family.
It is also evident that I am more efficient now at what I do, my client never ceases to appreciate my work and that is my motivation to do better and grow more in this line of work.
In all my previous jobs, I’ve never felt as valued as I do now. You would think that because I work smarter now and I dedicate more time to recreational activities, my efficiency at work has decreased, but it didn’t. It just shows how important rest and me time is when you are grinding. I am very grateful to my client for always reminding me and letting me know that I am doing great. Quite frankly, I tend to worry at times that I might not be delivering the job well. Mainly because this is my first time to do this, but thankfully, I managed to slay being a self-taught Social Media Manager.
Another good news is that they regularly give me bonuses and have already signed a contract with me for the whole of 2023. All that with a committed increase and bonus every three months. I thought it would be impossible for me to earn this much, but look at me now. I am in a really good place.
Don’t get me wrong though, taking the sudden leap to freelancing is a privilege. I got lucky to have a partner who is just as hardworking and who is willing to take on all my responsibilities just to support my decision. Taking this leap meant several months of having no regular income and Kins was there to manage everything on his own. (PRO TIP: Look for a partner with the same drive and goals as you. You can never go wrong!)
Marge Villaester 