Journalism
Benefits
of Working as a Freelance Writer
The
Outline
I.
Introduction to freelance writing
A. Dictionary
Definition
1. Explanation
for freelance writing
II.
Job Satisfaction in Freelance writing
A. Independence
in working
1. Professional
Ethics
2. Monetary
benefits
III.
Professional Autonomy
A. Freedom
of choice
1. Choice
of subject
2. Acquisition
of Knowledge
IV.
Stress Management
A. Self-evaluation
1. Self-Motivation
2. Goal-directed
attitude
3. Flexibility
in work time
4. Flexibility
in work place
V.
Job Security
A. Job
Involvement
VI.
Conclusion
Serving
the society
Oxford
Talking Dictionary defines the word ‘freelance’ as, “A person operating without
permanent commitments in a particular sphere of activity…a person who works ...
in a specialist area, for no fixed employer”. In this way a freelance writer is
one who is independent of any newspaper or journal. He works for himself and is
not an enrolled staff of any press media.
Writers
who choose journalism as profession shall opt to be a freelancer since he has
advantages like individuality, autonomy, monetary benefit, job satisfaction,
job security and involvement, freedom, stress-free working experience and
opportunity to serve the society.
The
career satisfaction is very precious to a professional. A freelancer is one who
does not compromise with his subject of writing in order to satisfy a
particular newspaper. Since he is independent there is always an opportunity
for him to have his work published unscathed. In that case he is determined in
his choice of topic. Further he does not have to bend his ethics just for
monetary benefits. Dr. Michael Drafke rightly states, “A work-at-home parent
can be present with kids…Employees also have less supervision, lower work
related expenses, and more flexibility” (320). The perfect balance between individuality
and revenue provides a vocational delight.
A
freelance writer preserves his independent identity in writing for different
newspapers or journals. It is essential to strive for autonomy for a
professional. A free lancer has the gift of it. Dr. Michael Drafke stresses the
need of autonomy as:
The more freedom people have over the pace of the work
and methods they may employ to perform it, the more autonomy they have. As
autonomy, or freedom, increases, so does job satisfaction. (325)
Freedom,
which is ample in freelancing, is a more valuable asset to human beings. Besides,
the freelancer has emancipated himself in his profession. Hence the execution
of the work is optimum when the individual is free and happy. This state of
mind enables that his territory of knowledge could be annexed with many such
legions. Consequently he sets himself off to an unending exploration of
research in writing which is such a joyous enterprise. Every such enterprise
empowers an individual to learn continuously and furthers him to acquire
erudition. As B.R. Hergenhahn and Mathew H. Olson state: …Learning occurs in
very small systematic steps rather than in huge jumps” (58). Therefore
freelance writing provides a gradual and a wholesome learning experience.
When
a freelancer works he has plenty of opportunity to self-evaluate his writings. But
the errors that an employee commits are visible to others in an organization.
Dr. Drafke emphasis, “When the errors a person makes are highly visible to
others, stress increases” (17). The stress caused by the humiliation of being
exposed to public eye proves to be vulnerable on the part of job satisfaction.
Accordingly self-evaluation becomes essential as well as genuine for a person
to upgrade his competency level. This attitude motivates him to be
goal-directed to achieve his objectives. P. Nick Blanchard and James W. Thacker
put it, “Feelings about our own competency are reflected in the concept of
self-efficacy, which is one of the better-researched constructs related to
motivation” (75). Evidently in freelance writing self-evaluation promotes
self-motivation and skill.
The
freelancer attends all his needs both in professional and in personal life. It
is essential for an individual to acquire self-actualization and to be
beneficial to the society. The importance of individual needs is substantiated
by James Adar as,
Individual needs are especially important in relation to
motivation,…you must understand these needs in individuals and how they
operate, so that you can work with grain of human nature and not against it
(35).
Hence his competency
level and his ability to serve to the human being could be fulfilled through
his writing. The same is actually sanctioned in freelancing so as to enable him
to be a better leader.
The
modern world is known for filching the health and the leisure through the daily
busy routine. As a result the work schedule that lasts until late in the
evening causes the mental stress. On the contrary the pliable work time is made
convenient for a freelancer who could attend his health as well. Moreover he
does not have to stand at the mercy of the head in the late hours of the
evenings in case of any overloaded duty. He is free to make his own
appointments to do his work. As in the words of Dr. Drafke, “Basically,
flexibility eliminates the 9 to 5 syndrome faced by many employees and enables
them to enjoy hours that more closely match their personal lifestyles” (318). Thus
his profession does not experience hustling work hours. The balance of the professional
and the personal life can be maintained in freelance writing. This factor lets
him concentrate well on his profession.
There
is job instability for an employee who works for an organization. The company lays off staff members if the
circumstances compel them. It is never easy to find an alternative to the
previous job immediately. The job security is a crucial factor if it is not
fulfilled job involvement gets affected. As uttered by Dr. Drafke, “When job
security, the assurance of the employment continuing in the future, is absent
there may be less job satisfaction” (328).
The accomplishment of task with dynamism reveals job involvement and
gives us the sense of bliss. As in the words of Dr. Drafke,
“The more involved a
person is in his or her job, the more satisfaction he or she generally feels”
(333). Whereas a freelance writer neither suffers from job security nor job
involvement. Such grants enhance his standard in writing and create a demand on
the basis of their suitability and distinctiveness. Therefore he may write on
various topics of human interest.
Ultimately the competency level and the
scholarship of the freelance writer facilitate him to compose a graded
composition which succours human being. Dr. Drafke justifies this point of view
as, “The end result of quality of work life is the overall satisfaction one
receives from a job” (324). Therefore one has to accept the fact that being a
freelance writer he gets benefit for his personal as well as professional life.
Works
Cited:
Adar, John. Effective
Leadership: How to Be a Successful Leader London: Pan Books,
2009.
Blanchard, P. Nick,
James W. Thacker. Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and
Practices 3rd ed.
New Delhi: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
Drafke, Dr. Michael. The
Human Side of Organisations 9th ed. New Delhi: Prentice-
Hall
of India Private Limited, 2008.
Hergenhahn,
B.R.,Mathew H.Olson. An Introduction to Theories of Learning. New
Delhi:
Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, 2008.
The
Oxford Talking Dictionary. CD-ROM, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003.
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