Why Freelancers Should Never Retire

photo credit: kevindooley on flickr

Being a freelancer is great. You get to work in a way that fits around your hectic lifestyle and while you may initially put more energy into building up a client list (than working for an organisation which already has clients), once you’ve gained a good circle of regular clients and marketed yourself well, you’ve got a career for life. As a freelancer I like to look to the future and consider what may happen when I choose to retire but upon reflection my answer has quite simply evolved into two words: Why bother?

Age Isn’t Exactly a Barrier

While ageism is certainly an unfortunate barrier in traditional jobs (where businesses may feel that letting go a still useful individual on the basis of age rather than capability), if you look from the perspective of a freelancer this really isn’t so much of an issue. Many freelancers obscure details like their gender or age via their brand to eliminate such issues with clients and while you are working for yourself, it’s ultimately you who calls the final shot as to when you don’t want to work anymore (you know your own limitations).

As we grow older, we want to spend less time working and more time doing the things we want to do (such as spending time with family). While many traditional jobs have set working hours which can make continuing unappealing, as a freelancer we have the benefit of simply reducing the hours as and when we want. Of course we’ll need to remember to set aside some funds for our later years to fuel this retirement, but there’s nothing to stop an 80 year old freelancing on a part time basis (which is great).

You Don’t Need an Eternity

When we reach the retirement age, time literally is the most important factor as we want to savour every moment we have. One of the great things which I love about freelancing is how many cool and interesting people we meet along the way. While the idea of attending conferences at a later stage in life may seem rather comical, I’d like to think that travelling around the world (on the excuse of work) and making loads of new friends is an awesome way to keep yourself active and avoid becoming isolated in old age.

As we get older, staying active, keeping our minds in gear and not becoming socially cut off from the world rises in importance. You’re only as old as you feel and a healthy freelancer with a wide social circle who uses their mind as often as possible (even if it’s on a reduced workflow) and staying active (rather than just rotting in front of the TV) gives us an excuse to spend our time wisely and live life to the full. You don’t need to work forever, but if you enjoy your work why not continue this great part of your life.

Extra Income Is Welcome!

Retiring is a costly affair (and so is getting old), with our belts ever tighter from the economy and our worries as to whether we can afford to retire, freelancing becomes a pretty useful option. As long as we’re still able to work, we’re capable of earning some extra cash. Taking on the odd extra freelance project not only gives us the opportunity to remain active but we get the financial benefits of having an income (not perhaps as free flowing as when we worked 80 hours a week but it’s still something to fuel your lifestyle).

The truth is that many of us as we reach old age may never be able to retire fully and freelancing is one of those options where the flexible working arrangements and hours allows us to subsidise our lifestyle in a way that won’t hurt our plans for the future. You can work from home, you can pick the projects you choose and you can even diversify what you undertake to keep your interest in subjects alive. If your work isn’t too stressful and invasive, just reduce your hours and enjoy your later years and time off.

Passion Never Totally Dies

This particular aspect of freelancing is something that’s really central to the ethos of continuing to work post when you may have otherwise retired. If you really enjoy the subject you work in and you love the work you do (like I certainly do), why give up your passion and hard worked for career and achievements just for the sake of old age. Passionate people produce the best and most creative work as their fuelled by a love of the industry, people with this passion shouldn’t be forced to give up their enthusiasm.

One of the main reasons why people choose to retire (beyond complications of ill health) is that they simply don’t enjoy working in the position they once held. Perhaps they’ve grown tired of the endless battles with clients or perhaps they just want to free themselves from the need to work. As a freelancer, if you don’t enjoy your work you’re probably in the wrong job (and should or can try something else). The flexibility of our positions allows us to pursue our passions like a paying hobby, why give that up!

Your Skills Are Valuable

The final point worth considering is that if you’ve been working in an industry for a long time, it’s probably quite likely that you’ve picked up a lot of knowledge and skills over the years. In the web design industry (as with many others), there always seems to be a shortage of experienced seasoned experts and rather than retiring you could pass on your skills and knowledge (for free or commercially) to those who want to work in the same industry as you. Who knows, you could turn to a nice teaching position instead.

As freelancers, we know that our work experience is only limited by the amount of time we spend pursuing our goals. While the ability to simply “stop” at the end of a career may seem appealing to some, I’d much rather have the opportunity to continue doing something I love on a part-time (reduced hours) basis which keeps my mind in shape and allows me an opportunity to travel and remain socially active (while getting paid). Who’d want to retire in that position? Certainly not me, and that’s why I never want to retire!

Image credit: Some rights reserved by kevindooley