Good question. For those who are uninitiated, freelance is a term used for work that is done in one's free time. It offers a chance to earn a little extra money for those rainy days. However, for some people, 'freelance' can become a way of life. Try doing a quick internet search of the word 'freelance'. The number of sites devoted to this topic are amazing. It seems everybody either wants to provide freelance services or needs somebody to help them desperately.

What are the benefits of becoming a freelance professional? Freelance allows considerable freedom in how a person goes about his or her life. That applies to when you start working, how long you work and when you can stop working. If you like to sleep all day, it is conceivable that you could be doing data entry or writing an article in the middle of the night. It might be necessary to make phone calls when the rest of the world is awake, but otherwise, it is completely flexible.

You have the freedom to work from home most of the time. With the major technological advances of the last few years, it is easy to accomplish many jobs away from the office. Just a few of these jobs are bookkeeping, writing, graphic design, web design, web programming...and the list goes on. Some fields have a lot more opportunities than others but I truly believe that working from home will become more commonplace in the near future.

You have the joy of being your own boss. If you are highly motivated, freelance-ing is for you.

Commuting to and from work is no longer an issue. This in turn cuts down on fuel usage, traffic jams and incidents of road rage.

Finally, if you want to work in your sweats, you can. Some business people might protest that being overly casual lowers productivity. I believe that when a person is comfortable, productivity increases. Perhaps I should check into research being completed in this area.

While being a freelance professional may not become your sole source of income, it is a viable opportunity that is growing. I currently work as a freelance bookkeeper and I regularly visit my favorite freelance sites and bid on projects. While my income is sporadic, I am able to make ends meet. Plus I get a sense of accomplishment from successfully bidding on a project and completing the work to my customer's satisfaction. I am an independent freelance professional!

Debbi Cunnington is a freelance web design professional who has successfully worked out of her home office for the last 4 years. Visit Debbi's website here http://www.cimmeronstudios.com