Are You A “Nonstandard” Worker?
“Twenty-six percent of American workers have ‘nonstandard’ jobs, says the Iowa Policy Project, meaning they’re temps, part-timers, freelancers or independent contractors.” – The January 22, 2010 edition of The Week, quoting Business Week
Ah, “nonstandard” – doesn’t that just say it all? Either you work for one company, full-time, or you’re “nonstandard” – outside the norm, not conforming, maybe even deviant. Increasingly, however, the economic crisis is forcing more people to stray from the norm whether they like it or not. I wonder if this (and, eventually, better health care options for us nonstandards) will prompt a paradigm shift, where choosing self-employment is seen less like the risky (perhaps adventurous?) occupation of a minority, and more like a logical alternative to increasingly broken workplaces.
What do you think? And do you think freelancing would be more likely to enhance, or hamper, your creativity? (If you’re already a freelancer, no need to answer this in the hypothetical ;)).
For More About Freelancing:
- Earnings and Yearnings: The Freelance Personality – Article from Psychology Today on the personality traits it takes to thrive as a freelancer
- Getting Started as a Freelancer – Advice from the folks at FreelanceSwitch, a popular website for freelancers
- Freelancers Union – Advocating for the rights of independent workers (the site includes up to date information on efforts to improve health care for freelancers, for example)
- Joyfully Jobless – Author Barbara Winter’s site about how to make a living without a full-time job
