You might remember our article from a couple of
weeks ago, where we gave you some reasons why you should never work for free. However,
there are always more sides to a story and we thought it would be a good idea
to see this topic also from another point of view.
Many people will say that a
professional should never work for free, that your work is worth something and
that companies, which don´t pay you, are taking advantage of you. Although
those affirmations could be true sometimes, it could also be said that working
for free is not a waste of talent and time, but an investment in an
opportunity.
As Sean Johnson says “Having
50 real world projects in your portfolio that you did for free is better than
five that you got paid for…You might not be as good as you think you are. Or
you might be better, and just terrible at letting people know. Either way, it’s
important to remember that nobody owes you anything. Experience is more
important than money.”
Nevertheless, no one likes to
feel that their work or effort isn't worth anything and to be realistic, long
term volunteering isn´t really feasible in today’s society. This is why you
should carefully consider if the unpaid work you are about to do is worth it.
Erin Lowry created a sort of test based on 5 questions, which
we should always sincerely answer to ourselves before starting a free job:
- Can I see any direct benefit from this work,
even if it's not financial? (For example, would I gain social media followers
or expand a professional network?)
- Is this work
indirectly benefiting me, and if so, how?
- How is this work furthering my goals?
- Do I like doing this work?
- Could I be working on bigger and better
projects – ones that better serve my goals or provide financial compensation
for my time and effort – if I weren't tied up in this unpaid work?
The blogger and finance
geek Sarah Gilbert, also suggests considering doing something for
free, if it meets one or more of these criteria:
- You can have access to the very best in your
Industry
- You can learn skills you couldn't learn (or not
so quickly) in a for-pay job
- You can have a title you couldn't qualify for otherwise
- Your free work will give you leverage for a for-pay
position
- You just really, really love doing your work
By answering these questions, you
can be more certain that your time, talent and work will be invested, not wasted or taken advantage
of.
Start your own Business
According to a study made by the software company Intuit, the traditional employment model is changing, and by 2020 freelancers are
expected to comprise 40% of the workforce. This means that more and more people
could also create their own companies, which implies that they may have the
wonderful opportunity of doing what they really want and love to do J. However, it also implies that very probably, they
may have to work long hours for little or no pay at all (and with no guarantee
of success and therefore no guarantee of ever earning any money).
Under these circumstances, working
for free would suddenly have a new meaning. In this case, you wouldn’t just
work for free for no reason, but because you want to achieve a goal; and in
order to do so, It would mean obtaining a bigger network by promoting your work
or services, improving your skills, speaking to possible new clients, etc. Wouldn´t it be worth it, if at the end you
reach your dreams and really achieve what you want?
Work for a cause you believe in
Indeed, not everyone has the luck
of working on or for something they love, but still they might want to feel and
know, that what they are investing their time on, makes sense and has a purpose
beyond just making money. This is why many people also put a lot of time,
expertise and work into volunteering for a non-profit organization or working on
a project/initiative of their own, which, instead of money, will give them
self-satisfaction, experience, networking and the irreplaceable feeling of
doing something good for someone.
In conclusion, working for free
or not is not a black and white issue; as it is with everything we do, we
should always be open to consider the different points of view on things. Being
open and flexible will give us more benefits than fixing ourselves to a single
idea or view. Do you agree?
Comments
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