Nguyen Trong Quyen, 27, from Ha Noi's Gia Lam District, has yet to work for a firm full time, despite graduating with an English degree five years ago. Quyen works three days a week and spends the rest of his time sleeping or drinking coffee with friends. His working style makes his family nervous, because it is so different from most civil servants.

"We have other choices than to become absorbed in eight-hour working days," he says.

Quyen is enthusiastic about his job as a copywriter, even though some it does not provide a strong illusion of stability. He says his job allows him to be creative and he doesn't have to deal with all the regulations and red tape that come with an office job.

"I can decide to work or have a day off," he adds.

Kim Thu, from the capital's Phan Boi Chau Street, left her job as a psychologist to become a journalist because she wanted to be self-employed.

Thu was taking a temporary break from a job at a Governmental office when she began working with newspapers and magazines. Her knowledge and aptitude for writing allowed her to excel in her new field.

"During the early days, I translated news stories and features from English into Vietnamese," she says. "But I was anxious about upsetting my husband when I decided to leave my job."

Her monthly income exceeds VND7 million (US$350). However, her mother, Nguyen Thi Nghia, is worried though about her daughter's career path.

"My family strongly opposed Thu's decision to be a freelance journalist because she was 35 when she left her job," says Nghia. She adds that Thu is too old to be in a job that provided little stability. "She needs a job that enables her to share the economic burden with her husband,"Nghia.says.

Fortunately, her daughter has had a lot of experience during the past six months. Thu is enthusiastic about her writing, even though she only receives royalties. She has no intention of returning to working in a State office "I know how to use my time and knowledge effectively," she says.

Search for freedom

There are many young people like Thu and Quyen, especially in big cities, who have chosen to be self-employed or to work as freelance contractors.

Freelance work does have its positive side. It can provide freedom, high incomes and allow individuals to creatively express themselves outside rigid and sometimes sterile office settings.

Vu Quang Thanh, head of Ha Noi's Job Centre's Marketing Department, says freelance contractors often work in creative fields and were also employed as law consultants, accountants and IT technicians.

"Freelance work dose not equate leisure. It requires continuos effort, marketing, skill and motivation," he says.

People who work as freelance contractors often have to fulfil several roles including working as an employer, employee and accountant.

Freelancers therefore need real-life experiences and professional knowledge before embarking on such individualistic career paths.

Advisors warn, however, that people should be careful about choosing such a career. They say some people are not mentally prepared for or disciplined enough to work in a freelance capacity. 

Source: VNS