Look, I get it. We've all heard stories circulating on the internet about people pivoting out of some dull, thankless 9-5 job and into an exciting new freelancing career as a web designer, or a writer, or whatever else sounded interesting to that person. If the stories are to be believed, these skills come easy and clients will be lining up at your door before you can even hang the sign out front. You just have to fake it ‘till you make it.

The problem is that many of those people end up broke, stressed and working harder than any 9-5 job would require, until eventually they run out of emotional and financial currency and return to the 9-5 life. I'm not trying to bring anyone down, this is just the reality of it. Here's what I think people should do instead.