I want to talk about tips for continuing one job for a long time as a freelancer

My life as a company employee ended after about two years.
I became a freelancer at 26, and for the seven years until I started my own business, I worked as a freelance IT engineer for a while.

I often look back on it myself, and I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

During those seven years, I took on various projects and worked calmly, but something a little strange happened during this time.

The period I spent in charge of a single project gradually became longer.

I never imagined that someone as short-tempered and lacking in grit as me would hold onto a single project for four years.

I thought that, just like when I was a company employee, I would start getting bored about a month after taking on a project, start chanting like a spell that I wanted to quit after three months, and end up mentally ill. (Fortunately, I have never suffered from depression.)

Being paid a high salary

It's not that I never thought, "I want to quit this project," even after becoming a freelancer.
However, because I was being paid a decent amount, I couldn't just quit. The people on-site were also counting on me.

I think one of the reasons is probably that the pressure of "being paid a decent amount" worked in a positive way.

I felt like I was being implicitly told that, and since I would feel guilty if I didn't produce results, I didn't quit and couldn't quit.

It might be simplistic to think that if you pay high wages, people will gather and be less likely to leave, but from the perspective of the person being hired, I think it has the benefit of allowing you to work while maintaining a good level of tension.

There are people who suit you

The company that ordered the project was full of very good people, and honestly, I was also lucky.
I often hear the term "project gacha" (project lottery), but I had a good draw.

As I get older, I think that unless the content of the work is extremely poor,
rather than the content of the work being what you aim for or receiving a high salary,
the people you work with suit you is a reason that makes it easier for work to last a long time.

I think a flow like that is normal, and I think it's a good flow.

That said, it is human nature to start thinking, "No, is this really what I wanted to do?" in the midst of this flow.

But if you are blessed with good people, there are people who will consult with you about your future, and I think being blessed with people is important in life.
I also learned this after becoming a freelancer.

Saving someone from a predicament

A word said to me by an acquaintance who is a business owner.

I thought, "I see."

It is true that for projects I have been on for over four years, there was some grueling development work in the first year where I worked until late at night for many days.
It was that important of a mission for the client.

If results were achieved here, the company would see a significant budget increase. It was a mission to push forward the automation of internal operations with the company's fate on the line.
I was the one assigned to achieve this. There was pressure, but it went well somehow, and it still functions as an important piece of infrastructure today.

After this incident, I suddenly became trusted.
Honestly, it wasn't something I raised my hand to do, so I was just lucky in this regard too...💦
The track record of completing a job that provided great value to the clientdefinitely feels like it led to numerous subsequent projects.

What I think

I didn't think from the beginning that I wanted to continue the same job for a long time.
I thought I would quit immediately if there were unpleasant things or unpleasant people.
I don't think this judgment criterion is wrong.

What I think now is thatwhen you realize that a give-and-take relationship is being maintained between the client and yourself,you might be able to continue working for a long time.

It is easy to think of your own results as just money, and to think of the relationship with the client as something inorganic.
Especially as a freelancer, since the mission is to complete assigned tasks, both myself and the clienttend to think it's expectedthat it gets done.

I think maintaining a dry relationship is one way of working, butconsciously maintaining a relationship of returning favors,or rather,being grateful and doing your best in return,I think it would be good if both sides could have that mindset.