My friend Nabil Fakih was the person who introduced me to the world of working online, he had started long before me and used his skill and hard work to really turn it into a success, and then he was kind enough to bring me on board. I have to say that I absolutely love this lifestyle and it is one which I would recommend to anyone, in my view it beats a traditional job every day of the week.
What I love abut this lifestyle is the freedom, the flexibility, being my own boss, working when I want and from wherever I want, no commuting and a million other tiny details. I do feel however that when people discuss this lifestyle they often omit some of the negatives which occur, and it is important that people have all of the info before they decide whether or not it is for them.
Salary
Unless you have a paid job which allows you to work online from wherever you want, you are not going to be able to count on a regular salary coming in, which can bring some stress. There amy be months go by without getting paid and then all the invoices come in at once. You have to be patient and financially minded, and you must also ensure you have multiple revenue streams. Remember if you don’t work you don’t get paid, so sickness is something you’ll have to plan for.
People
If there is one thing I miss about my old job it is the people, I loved nothing more than going in on a Monday morning and getting all of the gossip about what happened over the weekend. Now I wake up, grab breakfast and sit at the computer alone. I’ll have the odd phone call of course but that will be it, this is why you have to seek out relationships. In fact I often work in a co-working space or a cafe just so that I can have that interaction with people, but it is not the same as getting the gossip like I used to.
Location Independence
People sometimes get confused in thinking that the ability to work on a beach or a paradise island is somehow a good thing. Don’t get me wrong I love having the option of working anywhere in the world but there is nothing pleasurable about being in a gorgeous location and then having to open up your laptop and get some work done, I’d much rather have Mai-Tai in my hand getting a tan!
I don’t want to pain the image that this is not a great lifestyle because in doing so I would be lying, I adore what I do and how I do it and I wouldn’t replace it for the world. The point of the article is to offer some balance to those saying that this lifestyle is perfect for everyone, because the truth is that it just isn’t.
