Why I'll Never Go Back to a Full-Time Job

The stress and costs aren't worth it.

I've held several full-time salaried positions in the course of my career. The first had me putting in long hours at a hedge fund, and the second had me designing toys (yup, I've clearly jumped around a lot). I also worked at an online marketing company full-time for a brief period.

There were definitely some benefits I enjoyed as a salaried employee. For one thing, it was nice to see a steady, predictable paycheck hit my bank account every couple of weeks. And it was also nice to have paid time off.

These days, as a full-time freelance writer, I sometimes miss the predictability of steady income, and I definitely miss being able to take vacation while an employer paid me for that time. But in spite of that, I don't think I can ever go back to a full-time job. Here's why.

I need the flexibility

Let's get one thing out of the way. Right now, I work on a full-time basis in that I routinely put in 40 hours of work or more per week. So when I say I won't go back to a full-time job, what I really mean is I won't go back to a rigid schedule that has me at my desk from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening every day. Or, to put it another way, I refuse to go back to salaried work and wish to stay freelance as long as I'm able.

One big reason is the flexibility my current setup affords me. I have three young children who need me to shuttle them to school and activities, and to look after them when school's not in session. That means I can't be tied to a desk day in, day out, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If there's a half-day at school, I need the option to be able to get my kids a few hours early. I don't have family where I live, and so there's really no one I can fall back on for childcare. As such, I have to keep my schedule as flexible as possible.

It's not worth the added expenses

If I were to work a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job, I'd have to pay for before- and after-care at my kids' schools. And the cost there could be ridiculous. Plus, I'd need to figure out some sort of care for that annual gap between when summer camp ends and school begins. This year, it's two and a half weeks. The cost of a full-time babysitter could match or exceed what I'd make during that time.

Plus, I absolutely could not take a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job that required me to report to an office because I have a dog who needs to be walked during the day. If I had to go into work, I'd have to spend a small fortune on a dog-walker.

The right setup for me

There are times when I do think certain benefits, like paid time off, would be nice to have. But ultimately, I'm really happy with my freelance setup and can't imagine changing it. And so I'm grateful to be able to work when I'm able to, and to have the option to be there for my family when they need me.