Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

What a Freelancer (the Contract Worker) Can Learn From Freelancer (the Game)

by Rico on June 26th, 2007

If you’re (or were) an avid video gamer, you probably know about a space-sim called Freelancer.

In the game, you played a skillful space pilot who earned money by taking on contracts to deliver goods, escort another ship, or collect a bounty. Or, you can be a merchant, buying goods from one planet and selling them at another at a higher price. Hence the name, Freelancer.

I really liked the huge and virtually endless game universe. There were so many opportunities out there. So many new places to discover, so many people to meet, and so many ships to shoot down. Problem was, Freelancer eventually became a monotonous experience.

That’s because even if the universe was really huge, Freelancer suffered from a dose of sameness. Yes, there were so many things to do, but it was usually all about deliver X to Y, or destroy Z ship. After a while of shooting down pretty much the same kinds of spacecraft, taking similarly-themed missions, and talking to basically the same people, I decided to call it quits.

Does your freelancing world suffer from this? Do all your projects seem alike? Are you always hanging out with the same kind of people? The sameness of Freelancer was caused by the shortcomings of the game’s system. But such a limitation doesn’t exist in the real world. You have a chance to try out genuinely new things, meet interesting new personalities, and take advantage of different opportunities.

The point is, never settle down in a pattern of sameness. Push the boundaries, explore new options, apply your skills in unique ways. Or else one day you find yourself losing motivation, where you only feel passionate about quitting. Of course, there are some things that have to be constant, such as getting enough sleep and of course submitting projects on time and to spec. But doing the same things over and over again makes for an unexciting career—and life.

How do you make your freelancing career a little bit different everyday?

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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer