Freelancers Can Choose Their 'Work Style' Too | Why I, Who Used to Work On-Site, Now Work Fully Remotely
“So, you stopped working on-site once you went freelance, right?”
When I tell people I’ve become a freelancer, I’m often asked this.
“So, you’ve stopped working on-site at client offices, right?”
This is half right and half wrong.
Infrastructure projects still involve a lot of on-site work even now.
I myself worked on-site at client offices just like anyone else when I first became a freelancer.
But now, I work fully remotely.
The difference isn't that 'you don't have to work on-site because you're a freelancer,' but rather that 'you can choose because you're a freelancer.'
Infrastructure still has many on-site projects
First, as a matter of fact, there are many on-site infrastructure projects.
It is not rare to find workplaces where on-site work is a prerequisite, such as when work can only be done from the internal network due to security reasons, or when it is necessary to touch physical equipment.
Even when looking at projects for freelancers, on-site projects are listed quite normally.
Therefore, it’s not the case that 'if you become a freelancer, you automatically go remote.'
In fact, when I first became a freelancer, I was working on-site just like I did when I was a company employee.
As a company employee (SES), you can't choose your work style or job content
I think this is the biggest difference.
When I was a company employee, especially working in SES, I could not choose my own projects.
It is the company's sales team that decides the projects.
Moreover, since the company has to pay salaries even during standby periods when engineers are not assigned to projects, a dynamic of 'trying to put them into any available project' comes into play.
As a result, this happens.
On-site or remote → Cannot choose (go to the site decided by the company)
What kind of work content → Cannot choose (even if it's different from what you want, you join 'for now')
Which process to handle → Cannot choose (sometimes only operations come your way)
It's not that I couldn't refuse.
But there was definitely an atmosphere that made it hard to say no.
Freelancers can 'choose'—that's why I'm fully remote now
This is what changed after I became a freelancer.
Since I can get project proposals from multiple agents, I can choose for myself from among them.
And when I choose, I don't just look at the unit price.
Work style (on-site, remote, or hybrid)
Work content (is it construction or design?)
Process (will it lead to my next career?)
I am currently working by choosing a fully remote project.
But this doesn't mean 'I became remote because I became a freelancer'.
**'I became able to choose for myself projects where I can work remotely'** is the accurate way to put it.
If the current project doesn't suit me, I can choose to work on-site again next time.
I believe that having that right to choose is the greatest value of being a freelancer.
What I learned from doing both on-site and fully remote work
Even if I say you can 'choose', remote work isn't always the right answer.
Having tried both, I feel that each has its own merits and difficulties.
The pros of working on-site
You can ask questions on the spot when you don't understand something (this is especially significant for beginners to junior staff)
You get a feel for the workplace atmosphere and pick up information through casual conversation
Your daily rhythm is forced into a structured routine
The tough parts of working on-site
Commute time is completely lost
You need to conform to the rules of the workplace
You cannot change your work location
The pros of working fully remotely
Zero commute time. You can dedicate that time to studying or your personal life
It is easier to focus on tasks
You have more freedom in where you live
The tough parts of working fully remotely
You can't ask questions casually (it requires the ability to communicate via text)
It's harder to get a feel for the workplace atmosphere or hear behind-the-scenes information
If you aren't conscious of it, you can easily suffer from a lack of exercise or a disrupted daily rhythm
Honestly, I think it's easier to grow when you're a beginner if you're 'on-site with people nearby'.
I personally struggled quite a bit in my first year when I was at a site where there was no one I could ask.
However, once you become able to work independently to a certain extent, there are more situations where working remotely is more efficient.
The important thing isn't 'which one is the correct answer,' but rather whether you can choose the one that suits you at that time.
What I actually looked at when choosing a remote project
When choosing my current fully remote project, I didn't just decide based on 'remote work allowed'.
These are the things I was looking at.
Is it truly fully remote? … Sometimes the conditions differ, such as 'basically remote, but one day in the office per week'
How communication is handled … Is it chat-centered? Are there regular meetings? Remote work fails without a system in place
Project phases and job content … Even remotely, can I get involved in upstream processes? Will it lead to future opportunities?
Unit price … Has it been lowered just because it's remote?
The second point is especially important; remote work is tough if the workplace doesn't have a system for asking questions.
That's why I always make sure to ask during interviews, 'How do you handle day-to-day communication?'
I don't choose based on 'it seems easy because it's remote,' but rather by looking at whether it's a workplace where I can properly produce results even remotely.
This is also something I can confirm and choose precisely because I am a freelancer.
However, there are conditions to being able to 'choose'
Of course, you can't just choose anything unconditionally.
To be able to choose, these prerequisites are necessary.
Having enough practical experience to be chosen … If your experience is thin, you won't get proposals in the first place
Using multiple agents … If you only use one company, you can only choose from the projects that company has
Having savings to be okay even if you take 1-2 months off … If you are desperate, you will end up grabbing projects with poor conditions
The last one is especially important; if you are in a state of 'if I don't decide now, my livelihood will be...', you ultimately cannot choose.
Just as company employees might have to accept a project due to 'the company's need to avoid bench time,' freelancers also lose their right to choose due to 'financial desperation.'
Conversely, when these three things are in place, you can even control your own work style.
Summary
'Once you go freelance, you can stop working on-site'—this isn't entirely accurate.
Infrastructure roles still have many on-site projects, and I was on-site at first too.
However, the true value of being a freelancer isn't 'not working on-site,' but 'being able to choose.'
Company Employee (SES): Both work style and job content are decided by the company
Freelancer: Both work style and job content can be chosen by yourself (= I am currently fully remote)
Even if you are 'working on-site,' there is a huge difference between 'choosing to work on-site' and 'being forced to work on-site.'
If you want that right to choose, I think freelancing is well worth considering.
▶ Changes in money: 'The biggest change after quitting my company job and becoming a freelancer was my take-home pay'
▶ How to choose projects: 'How are freelance engineer projects decided? How to choose and work with agents'
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