1. Be Your Own Boss

As a freelance writer, you choose with whom to work, when to work, and on which assignments to work. You are your own boss.

2. Set Your Own Schedule

While there may be certain factors to take into consideration, like when clients are on the clock in different time zones, you decide when your work day begins and ends. This flexibility is especially great for parents of tiny tots, people with disabilities, and aspiring rock stars.

3. Work Wherever You Want

In the age of laptop computers and wireless internet, your virtual office can be at an outdoor café in the center of town, under the covers of your warm, fluffy bed, or on a spaceship to the moon (um, wait, do they really have wireless?)

4. Learn About What Interests You

Freelancing is ideal for curious people (and those with short attention spans). As a writer, you can learn about business, health, fashion, music, sports, and more. If you get super-duper into one particular topic, you can write about it obsessively — even become a recognized expert on it — but still move on whenever your interest is piqued elsewhere.

5. Explore Different Genres

As a freelance writer, you can approach any given topic in numerous ways. If you’re heavy into business, for example, you can write promotional brochures for companies, media articles for business magazines, marketing manuals for corporations, and any other variation on the theme.

6. Stand on a Platform

Here’s a favorite perk of freelancers who write for the media: When you feel the need to speak up about something, you can; and people will listen — far more than you could reach person-to-person. You can even generate public discourse about your opinions. How cool is that?!