The Challenge of Defining Success as a Freelancer
What does it mean to do well in your career when you can’t be promoted?
Around the end of last year, freelance writers started showing up on Twitter to sing a song of themselves. In long threads, they posted links to the articles that had made them proud, netted them a lot of cash, or simply been published somewhere important. For some, it was a way to tout their best stories and attract editor attention. For others, it was about comparing prices and commiserating over diminishing rates.
Many offered a reality check, proclaiming themselves lucky to have found work in a slowly deteriorating media landscape. A few were refreshingly honest about the invisible forces that worked to their benefit, like generous parents, wealthy spouses, or no student loans. Functionally, all were doing the same thing: giving themselves a year-end review when they don’t have a job, office, or boss to do it for them.
I’m a freelancer, too, and while I didn’t tweet out a list of my own, I took note. Collectively, the threads struck me as an interesting thought experiment, offering valuable insight into the work culture of a group of people who have no work culture.
Learning to recognize and celebrate success can be tough as a freelancer. That’s not just because…
