According to author Whitney Johnson, “When you make the decision to start something new, first figure out the jobs you want to do. Then position yourself to play where no one else is playing.”

Agree ka ba?

You've probably heard a lot of stories of corporate slaves who moved into freelancing.

And you might be thinking,

Why they do it, especially if they already have a stable and profitable job?

Well, for a lot of reasons.

Iba-iba tayo eh.

Yung iba, they just really want to be there for their kids while still able to pay their bills.

Others?

They just love the freedom that freelancing gives.

Take Gleizza for example.

She's an Engineer by profession.

When asked why she pursues freelancing, here's what she said.

"Everyday traffic hustle. I also wanted to work on my own time."

Simple you might say.

But it's BIG for her.

Hear her story of success & setbacks (and why she chose to become a Virtual Assistant) on this replay.

Introduction

Mary Gleizza Aquino, 29 years old, a licensed Civil Engineer who passed the board exam last 2015. Gleizza resigned from her Corporate Engineer job because of the hustle of everyday traffic. And now, she is a General Virtual Assistant working at her own time.

Notable Quotes

• Sa freelancing kapag natapos kana, kunwari nasa bahay ka lang, kahit ano nang gawin mo
• Hindi lang naman yung plan ko for today parang stepping stone lang sya...hindi naman ako nagmamadali parang sabi nga nila one step at a time….darating din ako sa point na...
• Okay lang naman, nakikita ko naman yung iba na after....tinitingnan ko kasi yung year ng nagpopost. May post sya nung 2018 tapos ngayon 2019, mga ganung post. Bigatin na yung pinopost nya. Yun yung isa sa tinitingnan ko na one way to motivate me.
• Napakadaming opportunity as a freelancer, maraming kang pagpipilian
• No matter what challenges you face just keep trying, darating din yung para sa inyo.

Journey to Freelancing

• She is a licensed Civil Engineer, it took her 7 years to finished engineering
• Before taking the board exam review, she worked as a Project-In-Charge Subcontractor
• After she passed the board exam, she applied as a Cadet Engineer
• Her recent job was a Quantity Surveyor, she resigned last September 2019 because of the hustle of everyday traffic
• Three years ago, she already subscribed to Sir Jason’s email but rarely read it
• She is also a member of other freelance groups and already has an idea about freelancing
• December 2019, when she decided to purchase the Accelerated Package
• And now, she is a Virtual Assistant with 2 clients.
• She is now working with flexible time and enjoying her free time learning new skills

Question and Answer

Can you say you felt bored or walang growth sa ginagawa mo?

Both. Kung wala kang ginagawa mas lalo kang aantukin, hindi na challenging kasi naging routine mo na.

Did you ever have doubts kung pasok ka ba sa freelancing? How did you come out with that answer yes?

Sabi nila mahirap makahanap ng client sa online, hindi naman agad makakahanap ng project. Bago ako nag enroll tiningnan ko yung mga reviews sa blog, saka dati pako nakapasok sa freelance groups tinitingnan ko sila bakit sila nakakapasok at nakakakuha ng client. Tinitingnan ko yung profile, hindi naman ako nag didiscriminate bakit sila nakakakuha.

How is life as a freelancer now?

Mayroon akong flexi-time, yung ginagawa ko basta maibigay ko yung output per day. After that pwede na ako maglaro, gawin yung ibang bagay, mag learn ng new skills, magbasa. Marami nga akong nakapila, kasi right now I’m trying to master adobe illustrator. Simple lang ginagawa ko kasi plano ko next time magkaroon ng specialized skills. Tatlo kasi plano ko, una sa VA, Graphic Designer, yung panghuli, specialty na kayang i-offer online as a Civil Engineer like estimates, quantity survey and quantity takeoff.

Ano po job ninyo ngayon as a freelancer?

Ngayon may dalawa akong projects, yung isa every week ko lang ginagawa, safety report . Yung isa online product listing, everyday yun.

What is your dream as a freelancer?

Travel, tapos kahit anong oras gawin ang work mo, ganun lang, pa chill-chill. Yung mga nakikita ko sa group page, ang sasaya nila kasi nagwowork sila, yung mga paa nila nilalagay nila malapit sa beach.

Okay naman ba payment sa iyo? Paano mo i-compare yung financial situation mo back then when you were working as an Engineer and right now as VA ?

Hindi pantay-pantay actually kasi ilang buwan palang naman ako nag start as a freelancer so nagb-build pa ako ng profile.

Meron ka bang mga challenges when you were starting as a freelancer?

Oo yung mga normal na challenges. Hindi ka agad makakita ng client kasi walang laman yung profile mo, paano mo ip-prove yung sarili mo sa kanila. Buti nalang nagkaroon ako ng advantage sa hustle challenge, doon talaga ako na push magpasa ng cover letters.

Nung nagpapasa na ako ng cover letters, ginawa ko na para madali. Tapos papalit-palit nalang, nirerephrase ko nalang. Malaking tulong sa akin yung paggawa ng cover letters, hindi na ako nahirapan.

Anong platform ka unang nakahanap ng client?

Upwork ako unang nakahanap.

Itong naisip mo noon when you were working as an Engineer, naboboring ka and you have some problems. Do you think this is going to happen here as a freelancer?

Sa tingin ko hindi, kasi sarili ko oras ko eh, saka wala namang nakatingin sa akin so hindi ako mabobored pag wala akong gagawin. Marami akong pwedeng gawin after ko matapos yung work ko. Napakaraming oppurtunity as a freelancer, marami kang pagpipilian kung gusto mo naman. Why not learn other skills then itry mo.

How do you prepare yourself for the future? Anong plano mo pa?

Matuto ng maraming skills for now, yun muna yung pinaka-goal ko kasi sunod-sunod na yan. After mo matutunan yung mga skills and you master it, ang po-problemahin mo nalang yung maghanap ng client pero pag na-master mo na, sila na maghahanap sa iyo.

Mababalikan mo ba pagiging Engineer sometime in the future?

Nandyan naman yun palagi, kahit naman freelancer ka pwede mo pa din gawin. Marami din naman kasing work na available. Kahit online tingin ko pasok din ang pagiging Engineer sa freelancing.