Do freelancers really want to be full-time employees?

I've been a consultant for 5 years now. After my first job out of college working for Intel, after I learned what it meant, I never found a good reason to have a salary position. Here are my reasons why

I love the self-determination that freelancing enables/requires. One thing that I am missing is the feeling of building something bigger than myself that I *might* find through long-term team collaboration in a global company. That doesn't mean Fortune 500, but a venture-backed company that you believe in could be a good fit for some people.

But you have to directly deal with all of the annoying clients who don't know what they want and often need "reminders" to pay you for the work you completed :)

I've interned at Google as a project manager, worked for one year at a company and while at it done freelancing work and later hired freelancers for my own work. I don't think freelancers in general "want" to be on an employee based commitment anymore. Also, the top tier ones, with a good margin of confidence, will do anything to not get caught in one employee-contract and do enjoy switching between startups. Also, "full-time" won't shy them away. Most of the people I work with today in fact have worked with me in the past on a full-time freelancing basis. oDesk (now Upwork), elance, and the list goes on an on. Maybe I'm being too loose with my inferences but I want to say that full time Freelancers on averalge work +60 hours per week. The talent market has changed significantly over the past ten years and in my opinion for the better- rewarding hard work designers, developers and consultants (this list is not that big by the way). On top of other reasons mentioned above, here is why I switched to be a freelancer myself:

1- You can pick up a technology you like to work on, you don't need someone else to tell you what to do so that you'll be valuable for future

2- You don't have to be with three office workers all the time, every day, every year, for ten years. (There is a reason the TV show Office was a hit here- many relate to it.)

3- You will grow more holistically in your own community by yourself.

4- Stability. Despite what many think, working as an employee doesn't provide you any more stability than your worth, which again that's why if your worth is high you should start freelancing.

5- You'll get the credit you deserve- worths re-mentioning.

6- You don't have to convince someone to give you a raise. Someone told me she is offered a raise, I told her that's a sign for you to leave that firm. She applied for two other companies- she got a better job at a better location by herself and she get to reject the offer (which she still jokes about it). The morale of the story: every employer will pay you just enough to keep you around and not more. That is not because they are evil, that is because many of the firm don't fully understand the new talent market.


Now, I hire contractors myself- is it a double standard of me not to be in favour of employee based works? No, in fact this is my advantage. I get to work with better talent, a lot easier. (There is of-course downsides that I'm not mentioning here- in fact all the reasons I mentioned above could be a reason to do an employee based contract, depending on your major, age, social connections, values, etc.)

The employee-employer legal frameworks was not designed to favour the employee. [Also, I think] it's doing a disservice to the employers too. Historically, 1920s with the first round of industrialization it started, peaked right after the WWII and it should have been drastically changed by 1985s. Those who understood the value of starting your own work early enough back then, started the new order we see today (Sun Systems, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon)- and that was one of their geniuses.

Putting anyone on an employee contract is a risk to any company too. I constantly work with the hiring managers and am witness to all the new federal compliances, etc. they go through every three to four years- which, not surprisingly, market-wise doesn't make any sense to them either.

I'm consulting in UX during most career because I LOVE my freedom. I can be full-time employee IF I get my freedom.
Totally agree with Aleksandra. I'd like to work in my own creative environment which is my home office or sometime a park in my town (yes it's fun to work under the tree). This way I'm more productive working 10 to 12 hours a day without getting tired.

well...the topic of conversation is... "Do freelancers really want to be full-time employees?" That's why we're talking about what freelancers want :-) 

uber/lyft while very visible are not a good yardstick to use..  the answer is simply it depends..

There is no one right way about it. Some may start with freelancing with the intent to move towards a full time business, I dont mean employee. Yes, by definition, one wants to enjoy the freedom that comes with being independent (freelancing). But for some others freelancing could be a testing ground for their market value, net working and client base build up to mature into a full time business (not a full time employee). Who knows if the freelancer and the employer find themselves made for each other, each agreeing to respect each other's idea of freedom, it could end up as a full time engagement without calling it a full time employment with an employer employee relation. In fact many consultants / outsourcing providers stay together for decades without an employer employee relations, but a client and supplier relation.  So I believe there is no one right way, it is just what suits you. Headlines / form are irrelevant, content matters

Michael,