If you’ve made it this far to find this article, chances are you’re a clinician or scientist who’s trying to break into a career in medical writing, whether on a full-time basis or as a side hustle.
Firstly, congratulations on your continued pursuit—medical writing is a diverse and interesting field that offers an endless supply of opportunities for work. You’ll inevitably feel a huge sense of accomplishment when you finally reach the specific goal that you’ve chosen for yourself in this area.
But what else will it mean to you when you make your goal?
Whenever I’ve asked this question to anyone on the path to medical writing, it always brings a variety of answers. And sometimes these answers depend on whether the professional is pursuing a position as an employee or as a freelancer.
In the case of those heading into freelance medical writing and the entrepreneurial world of self employment, here are some of the more common themes I hear about:
Flexibility: Self-employment offers an incredible amount of career freedom, allowing entrepreneurs to set their own hours and schedules, to enable them to design their own work-life balance. Having the time to pursue personal interests tends to be a common factor underlying many quests to pursue medical writing.
Independence and Autonomy: The ability to dictate and control their work projects and decision-making is a frequent answer. Many are pursuing an overarching goal of creating a business of their own that aligns with their values and career vision. “Being your own boss” is a powerful motivator for many people, and it’s awesome to be able to decide which projects you do or don’t take on.
Freedom of Location: Another benefit of the flexibility is the fact that writers can typically write from anywhere in the world. Sure, sometimes the time zones can be a pain when you’re trying to coordinate calls with clients, but, overall, writing allows you to adopt a philosophy of “have laptop, will travel!” You may live in the USA, but there’s nothing to stop you from flying out to Rome next weekend and spending the week out there, working each morning and sightseeing each afternoon.
Ditch the Commute: There’s absolutely no doubt that switching your commute to one that requires you to only travel from the bedroom to the home office each morning is not only quite the luxury, but it also helps to reduce stress. And let’s not forget how much time you’ll save, and hence how much more productive you’ll be.
Losing the Office Politics: It’s not difficult to understand why many folk are looking forward to getting away from the office politics! Office environments can be some of the most challenging ones to work in, so it’s no surprise that many people can’t wait to get out of them.
These are just a few of the benefits of self-employment that folk often cite.
What others spring to mind for you?