Poll: Are freelancers more of the risk-taking type than other professionals? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Are freelancers more of the risk-taking type than other professionals?".
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Risk-taker? Me? I’m no Grand Prix driver, no stock market trader, no test pilot and no skydiver. These are high-risk professions and they couldn’t be further from what I do for a living.
| | | | Edward Potter 
Spain
Local time: 21:21
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
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| Entrepreneurs | May 16, 2019 |
Generally, entrepreneurs take more risks than mere employees. As we know, more than half of all businesses fail.
That said, I think a lot of translators slink off into their corner and clack away on their keyboards without understanding that this lifestyle has its risks as well.
I guess you could say many translators are risk takers and don't know it.
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
United States
Local time: 12:21
Spanish to English
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| More and less | May 16, 2019 |
More risk-taking than translators with in-house jobs, but less risk-taking than freelancers in many other occupations.
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| The perception of risk | May 16, 2019 |
Teresa Borges wrote:
Risk-taker? Me? I’m no Grand Prix driver, no stock market trader, no test pilot and no skydiver. These are high-risk professions and they couldn’t be further from what I do for a living.
Interesting take, Teresa. In another life, I did some freelance work, and at the time I lacked the self-discipline, confidence, courage [extensive list redacted] that would have made my freelancing more successful. Risk is probably a question of perspective and perception, but isn't there more risk involved for the average freelancer than for the average 9 to 5 employee? 9 to 5 skydivers excluded, of course. 
Jared
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 21:21
French to English
Obviously there are more risks to free-lancing than to working as an employee. This was the main bar to me free-lancing for many years - coupled with the fact that I had some truly lovely colleagues who I sorely miss even now.
My father was the epitome of caution. He never took a decision without weighing all the pros and cons very carefully, and never took risks if he could help it. Even in a game of backgammon, he'd calculate the chances of a token being taken before making his move. Th... See more Obviously there are more risks to free-lancing than to working as an employee. This was the main bar to me free-lancing for many years - coupled with the fact that I had some truly lovely colleagues who I sorely miss even now.
My father was the epitome of caution. He never took a decision without weighing all the pros and cons very carefully, and never took risks if he could help it. Even in a game of backgammon, he'd calculate the chances of a token being taken before making his move. The only exception was Monopoly: he'd take huge risks and wipe us all off the board. My mother would ask why he couldn't do the same in real life, his answer was always a hollow laugh. Of course he didn't have any capital, but he'd have been terrified of a dodgy investment if he had it.
So I was naturally disinclined to taking risks myself. I only went freelance because my lovely colleagues all left and the boss wanted me to work from home, which to me seemed like all the disadvantages of freelancing without any of the benefits.
I had been doing the groundwork for several years, lurking here, making contacts on LinkedIn and so on, so once I had no choice but to freelance, I was starting out from the best of positions. So not all that risky after all. ▲ Collapse
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Jared Tabor wrote:
Teresa Borges wrote:
Risk-taker? Me? I’m no Grand Prix driver, no stock market trader, no test pilot and no skydiver. These are high-risk professions and they couldn’t be further from what I do for a living.
Interesting take, Teresa. In another life, I did some freelance work, and at the time I lacked the self-discipline, confidence, courage [extensive list redacted] that would have made my freelancing more successful. Risk is probably a question of perspective and perception, but isn't there more risk involved for the average freelancer than for the average 9 to 5 employee? 9 to 5 skydivers excluded, of course.
Jared
You’re right! It’s all a question of perspective. Being careful by nature I just can’t describe myself as a risk-taker, but I have taken a few risks in my life. Life in itself is a risk, isn’t it?
| | | | | In theory, yes, in practice, no | May 16, 2019 |
In theory, freelancers should tend to be risk-takers. But in my case, the switch from permanent employee to freelancer was simply a no-brainer, even though I am not the risk-taking type. And I know that I could return to my old profession anytime. With that fallback, there is really next to no risk.
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| On the contrary, in my case | May 16, 2019 |
In a country where unemployment is high and a massive hurricane can wipe out hundreds of businesses overnight, it is considered prudent to have a source of income that doesn't depend on finding an employer with the means and disposition to hire you.
I do have a part-time job but it provides no job security and no additional benefits. My current contract runs out this month and I am reasonably certain that I will be hired again in August, but there is no guarantee.
Would... See more In a country where unemployment is high and a massive hurricane can wipe out hundreds of businesses overnight, it is considered prudent to have a source of income that doesn't depend on finding an employer with the means and disposition to hire you.
I do have a part-time job but it provides no job security and no additional benefits. My current contract runs out this month and I am reasonably certain that I will be hired again in August, but there is no guarantee.
Would I take a full-time job if the opportunity appeared? Possibly--depends on a lot of factors, including my age and health. Would I have done so 30 years ago? Almost certainly.
All around me are people who are scrambling to find anything they can do to earn money. I consider myself fortunate to possess the skills that give me access to the relative security of freelancing.
--Jane ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I don't know | May 16, 2019 |
I don't regard myself as a risk-taker. I just do what I think is interesting, and if I can earn a bit of money from it, then great!
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