??? 盡管自由職業(yè)者無法獲得醫(yī)保這類員工福利，但自從雷曼兄弟（Lehman Brothers）、鮑德斯書店（Borders）和華盛頓互惠銀行（Washington Mutual）等大公司倒閉之后，職場中的“不安全感”情緒在不斷蔓延。不少自由職業(yè)者坦言，比起依賴于某個雇主，自己給自己打工要感覺更安全一點。如果一個客戶丟掉了，還有其他的可以來補充。

????來自美國馬薩諸塞州格林菲爾德的丹?尼森鮑姆是一位JAVA程序員，他在1999年時曾在一家名為Cimex的軟件集成公司擔任全職工作，主要負責計算機輔助設(shè)計程序的開發(fā)。但他卻說喜歡在小公司里工作，“我不能忍受坐辦公室，它會扼殺一個人全部的創(chuàng)意。”最終，他辭去工作，并在美國西北大學（Northwestern University）獲得了物理學博士學位，然后在2008年成了一名自由職業(yè)者。

????尼森鮑姆擁有非常熱門的技能，令他在一眾自由職業(yè)者中脫穎而出。離家外出工作時，他會仔細挑選客戶并從工作中獲得樂趣。一旦某個客戶提出過分要求，他就會為他們開出解除合同通知書，停止繼續(xù)為他們工作。他語帶譏諷地說：“對程序員指手劃腳根本沒什么用。”

????那么，做自由職業(yè)者有哪些不足之處呢？首先是必須自掏腰包才能獲得與大部分全職員工相同的福利。42歲的尼森鮑姆說，他不得不提高收費以支付醫(yī)保費用以及為晚年生活所存的生活費。他所服務(wù)的一個大客戶是好萊塢的一家公司，目前這家公司在為他們這些自由職業(yè)者建立檔案數(shù)據(jù)庫。

????雖然如此，他還是常常在Guru 和Elance這些網(wǎng)站搜尋新的工作項目。不停地尋找新工作也常常令他焦慮不已，但是又有什么辦法呢？尼森鮑姆說：“無論是全職工作還是自由職業(yè)，總歸都是缺乏職業(yè)穩(wěn)定性的。”

????肯?蘭卡斯特是美國德克薩斯州達拉斯市一家名為蘭卡斯特廣告營銷公司（Lancaster Advertising & Marketing）的創(chuàng)始人和創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)。2004年，公司擁有4,000平方英尺的辦公室和15名全職員工，營業(yè)額高達300萬美元。如今辦公室縮小到350平方英尺，而他也成了公司唯一的一名全職員工。

????但如今，蘭卡斯特隨時都可以說自己雇用了15到30名兼職網(wǎng)頁開發(fā)員、軟件程序員、搜索引擎營銷專家和平面設(shè)計師。這些人中有的是在美國，更多的是在亞洲、東歐和南美等國家。他從2004年開始就和其中一些人合作，通常是按項目或是小時結(jié)算薪水。

????蘭卡斯特說雇用自由職業(yè)者不但可以大幅削減成本、為客戶提供物美價廉的商品，還能為自己帶來更多的靈活性。他說：“這樣的好處是我無需為他們繳納個人所得稅和醫(yī)保，還能為客戶提供高性價比的產(chǎn)品。唯一的問題就是沒人可以說說話。”

????While freelancers must operate without the security blanket of employee benefits like health insurance, the insecurity in the workplace, after the demise of major companies like Lehman Brothers, Borders, and Washington Mutual is pervasive, Pink says. No one's job is secure. Some freelancers contend they're safer working for themselves rather than depending on one employee. If one client disappears, freelancers can fall back on several others.

????Dan Nissenbaum, a Greenfield, Mass.-based software programmer who specializes in Java programming, spent a year working full-time at Cimex Corporation, a software integration company, in 1999, where he worked on CAD (computer assisted design). While he says he liked working at a small company, "I can't stand working in an office. It stultifies your ability to do creative work." He left the job to earn a doctorate in physics at Northwestern University and started freelancing in 2008.

????Nissenbaum possesses skills that are in demand, which separates him from other independent contractors. Working out of his home, he says he chooses his clients carefully and finds his work satisfying. When one client made excessive demands, he gave them the pink slip and stopped working for them. "Telling a programmer what to do isn't effective," he says wryly.

????What's the downside of freelancing? Having to pay out of pocket for benefits most full-time employees receive by default, says the 42-year-old Nissenbaum. He says he charges a higher hourly fee to cover health care costs and puts money aside for his senior years. He works mostly for one primary client, a Hollywood firm that is creating a database for their archives.

????Still, he's always searching Guru and Elance for new assignments. Having to constantly pursue new work puts him on edge, but what's the alternative? "There's a lack of stability whether you're a full-time worker or a freelancer," Nissenbaum says.

????Ken Lancaster, owner and creative director of Dallas, Texas-based Lancaster Advertising & Marketing, until 2004 had 15 full-time staffers, a 4,000 square foot office, and generated $3 million in revenue. He's since downsized into a 350-square-foot office and is his company's only full-time employee.

????At any given time, Lancaster says he hires 15 to 30 freelance web developers, software programmers, search engine marketing specialists, and graphic designers. Some are based in the U.S., but many work out of Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. He's worked with some freelancers since 2004, always on a project or hourly basis.

????Lancaster says hiring independent contractors has slashed his costs, produces better work at cheaper prices for his clients, and offers him more flexibility. "I don't have their payroll taxes or health insurance and my clients get more for their money. The only problem is there's no one to talk to," he notes.