Can I do freelance work while employed?

freelance workers online

Yes, I have freelanced workers online while holding a full-time development job. It is possible, but everything needs to be right. Any time you do something like this, it is important to act with integrity ... both to your employer and the person you are working with. If you don't, it will likely all cave in on you. Here are a few things I think are important if you decide to do something like this:
  1. You have to love what you do. If you don't love writing software, you will not be able to handle the fact that you are spending ALL of your time working. If you love what you do, then you aren't working, you are doing what you love.
  2. You need to have a job where you have time do freelancing. In my case, my boss wanted me to put in 40 hours/wk and no more. I have been at organizations where they believe the own you 24x7. If you are already working 60 hrs/wk or more, you don't really have time to do any freelancing.
  3. Your current employer needs to be aware of what you are doing. In my case, I asked my boss (who also happened to own the business) and he said, "Yes, I think everyone should own their own business". This kind of attitude is rare in the business world, but if you care about your employees, this is the right attitude to have. Sure, you could freelance without talking to your employer, but only do this if you don't care if you will be fired. In many companies, having a "second job" of any kind is grounds for termination. The world is smaller than you think.
  4. You need to be doing something that is not in competition with or interfering with the market of your main job. The customers need to be different, the focus needs to be different and you need to make sure that you are not courting customers that are already customers or potential customers of your main job. This points back to the integrity point. This may be a bit vulgar, but dogs have a rule: "Don't poop at the same place where you eat." It's a good rule for your work life as well.
If the situation is right and you follow the advice above, you can do well freelancing and potentially turn it into a full-time business for yourself. If the situation isn't right and/or you don't follow these rules ... you will be putting both your full-time job and your freelancing career in jeopardy.

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