give it a go,
dive in!

The design community is a funny yet great one. Almost everyone out there is each others competitor, but we almost never act that way. Yeah some people are hungry to win awards, others want to be web celebrities, but most of us are here to share information and help each other grow. I've received quite a bit of advice and help from the local and twitter design community since beginning my professional career. Because of this I'm always open to help out anyone I can, when I can.

Recently a friend from college has been calling me for advice on his current employment situation. He's disillusioned and going through a lot of the same things I used to at my old job. He has his pros and cons that he constantly weighs, just like I did, and he has his ultimate goal, freelancing. In his mind freelancing is the perfect solution to his woes, but the numerous areas of doubt are always looming. We've discussed his situation numerous times and in the end it always comes to the same answer, he needs to say screw it and dive in.

Almost every person asks advice on a situation that they already know the answer to. It's a mixture of self-doubt, insecurity and the need for validation that leads to this. I know because I was that person that kept asking the same question over and over. Nine times out of ten the answer I was given was the same thing I was already thinking for weeks. Obviously what I'm going to say here doesn't apply to everyone, but if you are driven enough you can do whatever you want.

As a designer I was disillusioned at my previous full-time gig. It wore on me for months and I constantly came back to the same two questions in my mind, "should I really quit my full-time job in this economy?" and "can I make it on my own?" I knew the things that bugged me the most could follow me to my next full-time job. In the end I realized my only way out of this was to give my ultimate career goal a go early on, freelancing.

I wanted to freelance from the second I first learned about design. The lifestyle, challenge, ownership over your work and success greatly appealed to me. However, the one thing that went through my mind constantly when weighing the decision was, if it was too early or not. I asked numerous designers, professors and professionals what they thought. Some of them said I was young and in the perfect position to try, while others said it was too early in my career and I'd never reach my potential. In the end I decided freelancing was what I wanted and that if I busted my ass I could do it.

I will admit that I dove in head first, but this decision was the best I've made in a long time. Granted I did have money saved and the promise of some work for the first month, but in reality I didn't plan ahead like most say you should. I didn't have a back log of potential repeat clients, I didn't have many contacts beyond fellow designers, and I sure as hell didn't know anything about taxes. This obviously wouldn't work for everyone, but the fact that I said fuck it, went for it and I'm making it is a testament that you can do exactly what you want.

Everyones goals are different from the next person. Numerous designers always say "I'd love to freelance, but I just don't know if I can." Others want to own their own studio, some want to quit their job and some just want to change careers and become designers. With every decision you need to be rational by weighing your options and the risks. Only you will know what is best for you, but I'll also say that at some point you just need to say screw it and dive in. It's risky, it's probably horrible advice, but that decision was the best career choice I've made so far.