Topic: Struggles of being a freelancer in Bangladesh (Read 306 times)

This is because people spend too much time thinking about the lives of someone else instead of concentrating on their own lives, they think that unless you are breaking your back every single day then you are not trying hard enough and that is not true, being a freelancer can be very hard but for the ones that enjoy it this can be a very rewarding experience, but it is made way harder than it should be due to those people, however the pandemic seems to have softened the negative opinions of people to remote work as it grew considerably during the previous year.

This positive thinking can help the society as well as the country to grow more and to focus on the track. This time people are thinking negatively which is not a good sign for us. Freelancing is blessing which can help you even you are in lockdown or quarantine or something like that. You can complete and do you job at home. So, it should be chosen by a huge number of people whatever the others people are thinking.

I read the problems that the author of the post formulated. I have a question - if in Bangladesh, for a freelancer, there is such an objectively difficult situation that does not allow him to realize himself as a "remote specialist", maybe it is worth considering the option of changing his place of residence and moving to a more comfortable country? There are quite convenient regional centers with a similar mentality, religion and other attributes that simplify the implementation of a person into a new community. If the problem is not solved "head-on", then you need to look for other, workarounds, ways ...

Being a freelancer is also quite difficult here. although I believe that most of the world is pretty much the same, because it is almost unacceptable in a social environment and when you make good money, you will be suspected of cheating or doing something bad, lol. but it doesn't matter, because it's a hereditary perception and almost impossible to get rid of. because they think people have to work 8 to 10 hours a day in the office to earn a lot of money and high social status.

In developing countries it is still quite rare to find work remotely. of course if in the city it will be different, usually the city environment may ignore it or they already know that they work remotely, but in some cases, there are still many environments that are not used to working remotely

The things that I read in the OP happen all over the world, people have the tendency to judge other people by standards that are no longer applicable, I have a friend that has worked remotely for years and his neighbours that know nothing about him but that do not see him going to work assume he is just living out of his wife, and that is not true, they assume the worst not knowing he is working harder than them, he is just doing it from the comfort of his own home.

There are many factors are associated on deciding about bright future for freelancers. Because, it is a basic responsible of both the sides like both employers and freelancers must work for perfect working environment so that employers will be getting what they actually looking for and if that start happening then freelancers will be enjoying all the benefits like regular employees.

For a highly skilled person, being a freelancer or a regular employee may not be a big difference. Because, when you are good at your work and producing expected results then you can demand whatever salary you need. We need to be specialized in one particular area and must need to cope up with any working situation so that we could excel regardless of we are working as a freelancer or a regular employee.

Its misconception of other people that freelancers are not good simce they always think that working on office is the more decent job compare staying at home. They don't know that freelancer are earning more decent amount than those people who work from 9 - 5. Maybe freelancer is not appreaciated by now but if many people will be educated about working at your own convenient at home well provably they will give a huge respect to the freelancer.

Everyone thinks that if you doesn't have a decent job your stupid but the thing is being a freelancer is more good than having a decent job because being a freelancer means that you are controlling your own time and your salary at the same time. You can demand the salary whenever you want. Being a freelancer means that you are the boss of your own job but still many people thinks that being a freelancer doesn't have any good salary.

Being a freelancer in many countries is not easy because they need to struggle and compete with many people who wants the same thing. But I believe if that thing is really hard to do, that does not mean we can give up easily because if there is a will, there is a way, and I survive we can survive and found something that we can do to make money.

I have that experience a few years ago before I knew bitcoin. I am trying to search for jobs on the internet and I also tried to search for that in my real life but I can not get it for some time, but I never give up and still search for that. Finally, I can get a work in a small company which accept me for a while and that can help me to survive.

So you do not need to give up, and never stop searching for what you want because I believe that you can do that.

If I may add my couple of Sats. One of the challenges I faced when I was also freelancing quite a long time ago was how banks treated me with suspicion. I was like a pariah when I made transactions with the banks. I've got no company ID. I've got no pay slip. I've got no signed and notarized contract. Moreover, the person I worked for doesn't belong to a company either. And he's based overseas. In a way, I understand the bank's suspicion but to anybody who is well exposed to the growing globalization in the world of freelancing, a bank's narrow perception of it is appalling.

This is unfortunately the same situation with most of the developing countries and with the one's with a traditional touch. The computers and the internet is widespread but as far as online jobs are concerned I do believe the pandemic did a good job of introducing it to the parents. The social stigma not just makes it harder for a person to approach and thrive in the freelancing jobs but at the same time it's something that does not allow such jobs to thrive since it would only do if more people are aware about it. Plus it's the same with the artists and the creative sectors too. The Government also does not consider them a big deal and are at most times considered a secondary job. I do think what is more important is :
1. Social acceptance
2. Education about these kinds of jobs
3. Laws protecting them
4. More local bodies offering freelancing jobs
5. Harboring your skills and using them wisely
Well most of the people are doing such jobs now due to the pandemic so I guess this situation would change a little for sure. So don't worry, as long as it pays the bills.

Some people are not finding it easy looking for an online job, because their skills are more on the hard labor part. So if you think about it, what jobs are they going to look for online? Anyway, if you have no skills that you can apply online, just look around you. Your current skills, who needs it? And that's where you will begin to look at. You can advertise your skills online and maybe get clients around your area, where you don't need to travel. This is just a matter of strategies, on how you can survive during these difficult times.

On this new normal then its just something to become normal that Freelancing is already bit relevant or common because people are now remotely working in the convenience on their home
and this had been added due to pandemic situation.

Of course it would really be needing that specific skill of yours to be qualified on jobs that had been seek off.Its just nonsense on applying into something
even if you do know that you don't have the skills.

For now this is a viable solution for someone to take specially now in hard times.

Actually, its social awareness is missing in a society like Bangladesh. People have limited knowledge about the outside world and they only think that the only legit way of earning money is by doing some business or work in a company. People from Bangladesh still considered a freelancer as an unemployed person and most of them do not want to make marriage relationship with a freelancer.

Freelancing can be an easy or tough lifestyle depending on your skills primarily. If you possess in-demand skills with high proficiency, you will definitely acquire jobs that allow you to work from home on a regular basis based on what I observed.

COVID-19 actually helped freelancers acquire more jobs easily for obvious reasons in my opinion.

well, i think cases like this are not only happening in Bangladesh but all over the world who are still not open-minded.  freelance is a term for those who earn money on their own, do not depend on the salary of others and will only get money if they work.

advice for freelancers, you must continue to persevere with your desire to become financially independent.  they may sound good because they get paid regularly by other people but psychologically, they actually feel pressured by the routine they do every day.  freelance is not an easy thing, ups and downs of income will definitely happen but being financially independent is really joyful.

This reminds me of my early struggles in freelancing way back in 2009. I was trying to earn extra money for myself because I am not happy of my $10 weekly allowance as a college student (sometimes even less if I am doing something stupid). I was happy enough to earn $50 to $100 extra every week, but my parents are so concerned that I may not be focusing on my studies anymore (but I did manage my time both freelance work and study).

When I have graduated in college, they are expecting me to land a stable office work, however I choose to defy them and start loving my freelancing career. Eventually, they didn’t like my path and keep doing “sermon” sessions with me for years. For several years, I struggled to earn decently with my freelance jobs, but they keep pushing me to pass the civil service examination and get a stable office work or just simply work in the government rather than being “free”.

There was a time that I experienced having the “worst of the worst” sermons because my parents showed me their money in front of me (probably 6 figures in Philippine peso), where they asked me about my savings and I just kept silent, because I have little money left. There come a time that I was scammed and left me with almost -$2,000 in my Paypal, and it was one of the worst and stressful events of my life. But I kept fighting instead of whining and crying until I finally paid it off, and my dad and I aren’t on the same page too.

Then I started exploring cryptocurrency silently. I started learning how to trade, participate in ICOs, joining airdrops and bounty programs, etc., and I didn’t expect that it turned my life around. I started expanding my skills by becoming a local keynote speaker in various communities, become a part of multiple projects, traveling every month both local and overseas, and now as a small Youtube influencer doing project reviews and exclusive interviews.

The main thing is that if you want to become a full time freelancer, you should strengthen your portfolio first. I endured that for years by building up my portfolio, and it finally paid off. If your portfolio isn’t strong yet or you are still new, it’s better that you should find a 9-5 work (whether office or remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and do freelance gig on the side until your portfolio is strong enough to give you a much stable income while you are free.

I am not talking about personal experience but I know the gossip culture of my country and the stigma that for someone to be successful, they have to have a job which is bullshit because you will only be successful if you are not working but you are still earning money. I also like to mention that the people who do this gossip shit are your local drunkard and scum of society.

That is another problem, you always have to be on top of your game because there are a lot of freelancers that can do the job and this also spawns the problem of abusive clients who exploit the idea of competition by giving lower rates since there are more people that are going to replace the freelancer if they did not accept the offer.

I tried being a freelancer during the last few years and it was a rat race.
You don't have any consistent income and the competition is insane.
You have to work for demanding and low paying customers and you have to struggle to find new customers at the same time.
If you are happy being a freelancer,that's great.
Do I wanna stay in the freelance business?No thanks,I will try to find a 9/5 job.