When I made the decision to go solo and leave my day-to-day job, the concerns came fast.
“But what about job security?” “What about perks?” “How will you work without an office?” “How will you manage without a monthly income?”
Did these questions affect my decision? Not really.
But I’ve seen them paralyze people who get stuck in constant cycles of doubt.
The reality is, it depends on your situation.
Are you single? Married? Have kids? Have dependents counting on you?
The answer shifts based on what’s already locked in.
Companies that offer real perks deserve your loyalty.
But the average Pakistani corporation isn’t giving you perks.
They’re passing cheap deals onto your paycheck and calling it culture.
Let’s break it down.
Job Security?
If the layoffs in tech over the past four years are anything to go by, no one has job security anymore. Not really.
Here’s how I think about it: if you go solo and you’re good at what you do, you’ll likely make 2 to 5x your current income over time. Your security becomes your savings. That’s it.
The best job security is your bank account. Cliché, but true.
Perks?
This one frustrated me the most.
Unlike our US counterparts, what are the perks in a typical Pakistani corporate job?
Free cheap coffee? A bonus that barely registers? Medical insurance that doesn’t work in most hospitals?
Realistically, anything a company offers you as a “perk,” you can afford yourself. Often on better terms.
If you disagree, name one corporate perk that money can’t buy. I’ll wait.
Office?
This is the one that actually got to me.
I love working remotely. But sitting with people, working among teams, that’s a different experience. You learn things you can’t Google. You absorb how people communicate, negotiate, collaborate under pressure.
This is the sole reason I still tell people: put in your time. Serve your sentence. Then worry about going solo.
Freelancers without any corporate experience often suffer from weak soft skills. They can ship work. But they struggle to have the harder conversations.
That said, there are options now. Coworking spaces are everywhere. I wrote this piece back in the day from one.
Our options aren’t limited by where we work. They’re limited by whether we network or not.
Stable Income?
The big one.
Not having a “stable” income is looked down upon by every institution in Pakistan. Banks. Landlords. Loan officers. Everyone wants that salary slip.
I still struggle to understand why it matters so much. But it does, systemically.
If you can look past a number on a piece of paper and trust yourself to figure it out, solo life opens up. If you can’t, that’s not a flaw. It’s just a signal that you need more runway before you jump.
So if perks don’t matter and benefits are a hoax, should everyone quit?
Not at all.
Here’s the part most “quit your job” content skips over.
Going solo comes with its own friction. And that friction is real.
A few weeks ago, someone in our community shared a situation that’s painfully common.
They had a client. Delivered a landing page. Since then, the client kept asking for small changes. A logo update here, some text there, a domain tweak. Minor stuff. So they didn’t charge.
Now the client wants a full redesign. New Figma. New build. But there’s no mention of payment.
The freelancer didn’t know how to bring it up.
Should they wait for the design first? Should they mention it now? What if the client still expects it for free?
This is the stuff no one talks about when they romanticize freelancing.
When you’re employed, someone else has the awkward money conversations. HR sends the offer letter. Finance processes the payroll. You show up, do the work, and the money lands.
When you’re solo, you are HR.
You are Finance.
You are Sales.
And you have to say the uncomfortable thing out loud: “This will cost money.”
If you can’t do that, you’ll end up doing free work for people who don’t respect your time.
The advice from the community was simple:
Be upfront. Quote before you start. Get at least 30% in advance. Set milestones if the client is skeptical.
And never, ever, offer unlimited revisions.
That last one’s a trap. It sounds generous. But it invites scope creep, delays, and resentment on both sides.
So, job or solo?
There’s no universal answer.
I’ve seen people work 20+ years at the same company and stay genuinely happy. I’ve seen people freelance for a month and complain every single day.
What matters is your state of satisfaction. And your ability to handle the trade-offs.
Jobs give you structure, predictability, and someone else handling the awkward bits. Solo gives you freedom, upside, and full ownership of every uncomfortable conversation.
Pick based on what you can actually live with.
Not what sounds better on Twitter.
With or without my help – I wish you the best.
The Wandering Pro is a quiet, steady corner of the internet for people figuring out their next move in tech.
Whether you’re a freelancer, a junior developer, or someone building something for the first time – this is a space for showing up, learning, and making progress at your own pace.
If that sounds like what you need, come be a part of it.
See, at the heart of it – I love solving problems for people using tech, it doesn’t get simpler than that.
I am known for constant experimentation and relentless execution.
Right now – my focus is to help everyday folks of Pakistan understand tech, career, and business better with everything I do.
