The Gig Life: How to Move From Full-Time to Freelance

Why does freelance life call out to you? Most people want to be gig workers because we crave flexibility – to do the kind of work that gets us excited, while also being able to take time off when we want to. This sounds great on paper, but ground realities are slightly more complicated. To understand the nuances of gig work, you’ll have to take off your rose-tinted glasses and accept that gigs will take up your time, effort, and energy in the same way that full-time work does.

However, you will have the ability to choose the kinds of companies and projects you work on. In India, the gig economy is still in its early stages, so the culture of working for three months and taking three months off isn’t viable yet. However, you can choose to space out your gigs in a way that gives you more flexibility than a full-time job would. It’s crucial that you understand (the sometimes unglamorous) realities of gig work before you decide to quit your full-time job.

If you’re in finance, data analytics, project management, or communications, the good news is that companies are fairly open to taking on gig workers at all levels for these functions. HR strategy is another field that is increasingly being outsourced to gig workers. Swiggy, India’s largest food delivery platform, approached me to set up their Talent Management strategy. This goes to show that companies are willing to take on gig workers not just for junior, scripted work, but also for strategic and analytical roles.