While you still have a job, why not start a parallel career by freelancing and aim towards
end goal of being your own boss (which is what changing career Parallel Career Way is all about)? Don't wait until you face a midlife crisis or after you lost or quit your job. Today, literally millions of people all over world have established highly-successful careers as freelancers. Many of these work-from-home professionals have found that freelancing offers a dream lifestyle - flexible working hours, free from bosses, total control, independence and 'good money'.
As a freelancer you act as an expert or specialist in your field on a project/contract basis. You're an independent contractor or some call you a Free Agent. You're not on anyone's payroll. You're self-employed. Your remuneration for each project/contract is based on a fee.
The type of projects available for freelancers are as many as there are job functions in traditional workplace. These include auditing, copywriting, research, text translation, creative and commercial writing, quality assurance, forensic accounting, website design and maintenance, medical law, graphical work, software development, technical writing, data entry, research, training and motivation, engineering design, raising equity funds and venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, international law, etc. etc.
First…You'll Have to Be Sure…
But because you're still working for someone else, there're pros and cons in freelancing as a parallel career. Your current job will surely provide you with some 'Assets' BUT at same time you've to be sure that there's no conflict of interest with your employer.
*Is freelance project for a client who is your employer's competitor?
*Is nature of project such that to undertake it, you'll have to disclose some of your employer's proprietary secrets? (These secrets could be sources of supplies, technological know-how, formulas/recipes, product costing calculations, or any information that gives your employer's company a competitive advantage in its industry/market).
Re-read your employment contract thoroughly, and if still in doubt, consult a lawyer. Paying fees for such legal advice is money well spent.
The Good Thing Today…
The good thing about freelance project opportunities today is that most likely you'll be undertaking project work for a company too far away to have any conflict with your local employer. Or scope of your project does not 'threaten' your employer at all.
For example, you live in Los Angeles and work for a medium-size accounting software company twenty miles from your home. It's very unlikely that there's a conflict of interest if you were to take on a programming project for a company in Italy to develop an inventory management program. BUT there'll be a potential conflict if you undertake a freelance project to develop an accounting software for a company not too far from LA (say in San Diego) because this new accounting program may 'eat' into your present employer's product market share.
