My first recollection of hearing the word “freelance” was when I was in 8th grade. Even from that young of an age, teachers and mentors are pushing you to think about the answer to the infamous question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They try to simplify it by putting together what you like and what you are good at. While this combination is key, choosing a career is exponentially more layered.
At the time, I really enjoyed mathematics and visual art, so of course, I put two and two together and decided that I should be an architect! *face palm* If only it were that simple. But at the time, I felt a sense of validation from the adults around me. Architect sounded comfortable and predictable – safe. A seemingly concrete and acceptable job. I was elated. But something still didn’t click.
Once I put my supposed dream job into the universe, somebody told me: “that’s great too because you can be a freelance architect and work from home.”
Cue the angelic chorus. That’s it!
It was as if my subconscious knew exactly what this meant. And although I didn’t quite have the vocabulary at the time, I somehow understood: freelance = flexibility and freedom. What I didn’t come to recognize until much later, was just how much I would thrive within that context despite being influenced to think otherwise.
I’m currently working from Taghazout, Morocco, and I was just talking about this with another freelancer the other day. Schools and career coaches don’t really present “freelance” as a viable option. Perhaps that’s because it’s very ambiguous and could very well mean anything. But I feel that there is so much possibility for many kinds of strengths and personalities to succeed in this avenue because it is inherently creative and innovative. At 25, I have already dabbled in a few areas, including politics, development, and advocacy. After it hit that I didn’t particularly LOVE mathematics and physics, I let the architecture dream go to rest and imagined a career in law for a while. But within all of these jobs, I didn’t feel creatively fulfilled. I didn’t feel like I had the capacity to explore. To a certain degree, they all made me feel a little trapped and out of control. And this just didn’t sit well with me.
Now, I take personality tests with a grain of salt, but I must say the 16personalities Myers Briggs Test really hit home in many respects, especially when it came to my career. I’ve done this test a few times, with significant time in between and I’ve always come out of it with the same result:
I am an ENFP personality type or the Campaigner.
Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving.
First there was this in the career section of the personality profile:
“If there’s a challenge Campaigners face when selecting a career, it isn’t that they lack talent or options or drive, it’s that there are so many things out there that are just cool.”
YEP.
“ENFPs are fiercely independent, and much more than stability and security, they crave creativity and freedom.”
Okay… stop reading my mind freaky internet test!
“It may come to pass though, that the best way forward for ENFP personalities is to establish themselves as entrepreneurs and consultants, blazing their own trails and taking on whatever project is most fascinating.”
Jackpot.
I’m so grateful for all my past career opportunities and the work I accomplished. But I felt restricted within such set parameters. When you enter the freelance world, you essentially become your own boss. You are more in control of your schedule, projects, location and exploration. Obviously this comes with another whole set of challenges, but I was more excited about being a freelancer than I was daunted. And that’s important to distinguish because for many people I meet, it’s scarier to imagine not knowing where you are going to work everyday or knowing what your schedule or tasks will be.
I’ve always had a love of writing and an inkling that I wanted to attempt it professionally. I’m going to write another post about my journey with professional writing specifically, but for me writing just clicked with freelancing so seamlessly. As it does for many others.
So I began tapping into my curiosity. Asking people in my personal circles a variety of questions. Because while I was excited about the potential, I had no idea where to start. But of course, I quickly learnt that there is literally no one ‘perfect’ path. I was inspired and determined to carve my own.
I started joining Facebook groups for writers and researching different publications that took pitches (at this point I had never written a pitch and was still learning about what this meant). I had a personal story in mind that I wanted to write and I just took my fingers to the keyboard on a google doc and started typing away and writing the story – before I even had a gig. I had been reading travel guides and pieces from Passion Passport and saw that they accepted contributions. I figured my story would be a good fit for their audience and brand so I submitted the draft I had written and they (thankfully) accepted it. I began working with an editor to refine it and that eventually led to my first travel writing byline, here. Funnily enough, my first published travel piece is still one of my proudest. I was no longer just talking about writing, but I was writing. I was a writer.
From there I gained more confidence and continued to respond to inquiries I saw throughout social media, researching and reading more publications and thinking up story ideas. I genuinely fell in love with the process.
Now, here I am nearly two years following that initial Myers Briggs breakthrough, happily freelancing, exploring the world and finding my own voice. I’ve taken it step by step, celebrating each victory and picking myself up after a fall.
I wouldn’t necessarily say “never” to another office job – life is full of unpredictability and unknowns – but after learning how much I thrive within the freelancer umbrella, I certainly know that I need more agency and flexibility to fulfill my fullest potential.
“So long as they get to use their people skills, identify and achieve their own goals and inspire their colleagues and followers, Campaigners will be happy.”
