Poll: Do freelancers tend to plan less for the future than other professionals? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do freelancers tend to plan less for the future than other professionals?".
View the poll results »
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I don't know! | Aug 16, 2017 |
I'm in need of a crystal ball again... | | |
neilmac Spain Local time: 00:06 Spanish to English + ...
I don't know about anybody else, but I have never been a great one for planning for the future. | | |
I think they plan more | Aug 16, 2017 |
I could be wrong, but I know in my own case that I'm careful about planning for the future because it's uncertain. When I was receiving a regular paycheck as an in-house translator I never thought about the future--though of course I was a lot younger then. | |
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Toni Faisal Indonesia Local time: 05:06 English to Indonesian + ... Actually, it is a little hard to answer between yes or no... | Aug 16, 2017 |
I/We do not know what will happen in the future regarding freelance (translator/translating). I am afraid that AI or any kinds of it will take over less or more in translation business as we have seen what machine translation can do nowadays. In my opinion, it is better prepare to mastery more languages and start to invest the money from translation for buying land or making other business that can produce stable income. The more sources of income the better feeling we get. | | |
neilmac wrote: I don't know about anybody else, but I have never been a great one for planning for the future. exactly the same for me | | |
Problem question | Aug 16, 2017 |
Well, if you give me the time to survey: - other professionals - freelancers and to analyze the results statistically, I might be able to provide something of an answer. PIt would be helpful to indicate what you mean by "other professionals", freelancers (translators/interpreters only?) and "plan for the future". Irony apart, I suppose the question is basically, "As a freelancer, do you plan for the future?". Edit: Surveys aim to answer a particu... See more Well, if you give me the time to survey: - other professionals - freelancers and to analyze the results statistically, I might be able to provide something of an answer. PIt would be helpful to indicate what you mean by "other professionals", freelancers (translators/interpreters only?) and "plan for the future". Irony apart, I suppose the question is basically, "As a freelancer, do you plan for the future?". Edit: Surveys aim to answer a particular question. In order to answer that "big" question, the question put to the population being surveyed is not usually the same. Even if this is a straw poll, an asker should take the time to consider how he/she would answer his/her own question.
[Edited at 2017-08-16 10:37 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | |
They should... | Aug 16, 2017 |
I'm used to having others to do it for me, so I am lucky or spoilt, depending how you look at it. Employees often have plans served on a plate - insurance, contributions to unemployment benefit, pension schemes, sick pay, holiday savings, you name it... at least in our molly-coddled welfare state in Northern Europe. I am enormously grateful for my pension (OK, I have earned it and saved up for it, but it's there.) It is even more important to think about it if you do no... See more I'm used to having others to do it for me, so I am lucky or spoilt, depending how you look at it. Employees often have plans served on a plate - insurance, contributions to unemployment benefit, pension schemes, sick pay, holiday savings, you name it... at least in our molly-coddled welfare state in Northern Europe. I am enormously grateful for my pension (OK, I have earned it and saved up for it, but it's there.) It is even more important to think about it if you do not live in a welfare state with a safety net to catch those who are ill or older and not able to work as fast or for such long hours as before. ▲ Collapse | |
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On the contrary, freelancers may plan more than others | Aug 16, 2017 |
I agree with some of the comments which stated that we need to plan more than those with a regular income. I plan professional and personal investments, alternative sources of income, how to plant my own food etc. I also plan how much work I can accept in the future to not increase my income tax rate. | | |
Connected Tr (X) United Kingdom Local time: 23:06 Chinese to English + ...
We have to plan more than people with a fixed salary. We have put money aside for taxes at the end of the year as it is not automatically deducted, plan for pensions and retirement, put money aside for time off or sickness, have an emergency fund just in case work dries up, etc. Obviously, there's a lot of uncertainty, which can make planning difficult, but I can't see how you could get by as a freelancer without some sort of plan. | | |
but they may have less need | | |
Luiz Barucke Brazil Local time: 19:06 Spanish to Portuguese + ... The question is... | Aug 17, 2017 |
Does future tend to follow freelancers' and other professionals' plans? | |
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How do "other professionals" plan for the future? | Aug 17, 2017 |
The question is incomprehensible to me. | | |
Mario Freitas Brazil Local time: 19:06 Member (2014) English to Portuguese + ...
My plans for the future are the same now as they were when I worked in other professions and in-house. My purchasing and saving power is higher now than when I was a regular employee for sure. But I no longer have a severance fund, vacations, yearly bonus, etc. I keep paying social security to the government and a private retirement plan. So, no big difference. It depends on the person, not on their profession or working regime, really. | | |