Almost everyone has said it at some point.
“I want to work for myself.”
Maybe it was watching someone build something online. Maybe it was sitting in a pointless meeting. Maybe it was just a general feeling that there had to be a better way to structure a career. Whatever triggered it, the thought is pretty universal.
Owen went and actually did it. He graduated in 2024 with a film degree, went freelance, and started building a client base from scratch. Some months were genuinely good. He had shoots lined up, real companies paying him, work he was proud of.
Other months the pipeline dried up and the bills kept coming. Owen didn’t sugarcoat it. He said if you’re not highly self-motivated, you’re going to run out of money fast. And he was the first to admit maybe, he wasn’t that person.
Quickly, he ran out of money and moved back home.
What he described about the day to day is what most people don’t picture when they have the thought. Every morning starts with emails going out just to stay on people’s radar. Following up on conversations that might turn into something. Throwing his name in regularly so he doesn’t get forgotten. The actual shoots and edits are maybe half the job. The other half is just keeping yourself in the game.
And even when things are going okay, the job doesn’t really turn off. Owen said he could be out on a Friday night and still be doing math in his head. Wondering if he followed up with the right person. Wondering if next month is covered. He said a salaried job actually gives you more real freedom in that sense, because at 5pm you’re genuinely done. Freelancing is flexible on paper. In reality the boundary between work and everything else gets pretty blurry pretty fast.
It works for some people. But it asks a lot more of you than the thought usually includes.
Freelancing can genuinely be an amazing path. Some people thrive in it, build careers from it, and wouldn’t trade it for anything. But those people tend to know exactly what they signed up for. They went in clear-eyed, not chasing a fantasy.
So before you drop everything, ask yourself if you’re that person.
P.S. Did you know, GradSimple Insiders is a Career Intelligence membership for early professionals who are unsure what to do next and want to avoid wasting years on the wrong path?
We break down real hiring data and job market trends twice a month so you can see which entry-level roles are actually in demand, which industries are slowing down, and whether a career path is worth pursuing before making a long-term decision.
