Architectural rendering is a road more and more people want to take due to the high number of benefits this profession offers. However, a major crossroad intersects this path sooner or later, and all interested in continuing must choose one road or the other.

Naturally, we’re talking about freelancers and full-time employees. After their career in architectural rendering hits off, individuals need to decide whether to work as a freelancer or a full-time employee in a company.

For that reason, we decided to closely examine the two professions and compare their fundamental differences. In this article, you can find everything you need to know about the major pros and cons of both professions, which can assist you in choosing the right option for you.

Required knowledge

First things first, let’s take a look at the level of knowledge freelancing and full-time employment require, respectively.

Architectural companies usually hire people with a higher degree in architectural rendering or a closely related field. Although there are some exceptions if the HR team comes across a truly talented individual, the basic rule is – the more knowledge, the better.

Not only does a degree show your expertise in the topic, but you’re also taught how to tackle new projects you’ve never crossed paths with before.

However, companies don’t typically hire applicants who just got their diplomas as they don’t have any practical experience in working for a company. Therefore, you can’t expect to work as a full-time employee if you don’t have a similar background before applying for the position.

On the other hand, freelance gives you the freedom to explore, practice, and grow. Although the clients will demand you show them your expertise to win them over and get a deal, you don’t have to own any special knowledge to do this. As long as you show dedication, hard work, and patience, clients will tend to stick with you.

Furthermore, freelancing is a great way to start adding projects for your portfolio, which you can use later on for a full-time employment application. Since not many companies hire artists without previous work experience, freelancing is a great way to jumpstart your career.

Formal education or no?

Who needs formal education to work in architectural rendering? Although none of these rules are set in stone nowadays, certain tendencies do exist.

Companies need to play it safe with their workers, so they’ll usually hire only the applicants with formal education. That way, they know their workers have a high level of skill and knowledge required to complete all tasks and finish the projects. Furthermore, workers with formal education elevate the reputation of the company.

With several years of learning about the complex world of rendering, artists with a diploma are guaranteed to have a complete skill set without any major holes in their knowledge. Because of that, companies will always tend to hire applicants with a formal education diploma.

However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a freelancer with formal education. In fact, numerous individuals with a diploma choose freelancing because it gives them the benefits other companies can’t provide, including more freedom.

This freedom also allows anyone to work freelance, even architectural artists who didn’t go through formal education. Essentially, anyone can do freelancing and be successful at it, including freelancers who chose to educate themselves through some alternative methods, including courses, workshops, or are even self-taught.

If you don’t plan on pursuing a formal diploma, freelancing is your ticket to success in architectural rendering.

Expected income

If you’re contemplating between full-time employment and freelancing, you’re undoubtedly curious about the income differences. The two professions have completely unalike income systems, and here you’ll be able to find out which one suits your lifestyle better.

Firstly, working in a company offers you a safe and secure payment. You’ll have a fixed income, so you’ll always get the same on a monthly or yearly basis. A steady income gives you a lot of stability, and you can easily plan what your future will look like. With a regular income, making a serious purchase, such as buying a car or a house, can be stress-free and considerably easier.

By completing projects and climbing the ranks in your company, your income will gradually grow. Don’t expect any sudden rises or falls in your income, and working full-time is a better option for you if you’re looking for a steady payment.

Secondly, freelancing is a better alternative for people who are willing to take a risk. Namely, you won’t have the steady fixed income that companies offer their workers just because your pay depends only on the projects you’re working on. The more you work, the higher your income will be.

However, you can’t always predict how much work you’ll have. Sometimes, you’ll be swamped with various projects, and your income will mirror that. Other times, you’ll go through a quiet period, and you may depend on the income earned in the previous months to keep the lights on.

Essentially, a freelancer’s income is inconsistent, unexpected, and always fluctuating, so you need to be good with managing your finances and always save some money for a rainy day. That way, you’ll be prepared for every situation and won’t feel the irregular differences in your income as much.

Daily tasks

When it comes to the daily tasks freelancers and regular employees face, there are also a few key differences. This time, let’s start with freelancers’ daily obligations.

Freelancers often have to complete the entire project on their own. Unless they’re partnering up with other freelancers, they have to do everything from start to finish by themselves. That includes cutting a deal with a client, having meetings and discussing ideas, doing the entire project, editing and changing the necessary parts, and reviewing the clients’ feedback.

Moreover, freelancers don’t have specific working hours – they work whenever they want and for how long they want. They can divide a project into smaller chunks and work on it for some time, or they can work on it harder and longer to finish the project earlier. Additionally, freelancers can take as much work as they need, so they can dictate how busy specific periods are for them.

On the contrary, company employees have much less freedom than freelancers. For instance, they usually work in large teams, and each employee has their own part of the project they’re responsible for. Therefore, employees often work on multiple projects simultaneously since they’re doing only a portion of the entire thing.

Company employees also have specified office hours they need to spend working. Although company workers usually work a typical 9-5 shift, more and more companies are trying to implement flexible working hours into their company policy to imitate the benefits of freelancing.

Flexible 8-hour shifts and available “work from home” days are some of the most popular features companies choose to offer their employees.

Networking differences

A major benefit of working for a successful company is the number of networking opportunities the companies provide. Meeting other colleagues, widening the circle of acquaintances, sharing experiences and ideas, creating new job opportunities, and participating in exclusive projects are just some of the activities company networking can bring.

If you work for a company, you’ll always stay on top of the latest trends in the rendering industry by keeping in touch with your colleagues. While freelancers enjoy flexibility and possibly higher income, this is something they can’t do.

Freelance networking was virtually nonexistent until recently. Consequently, freelancers didn’t have the means to reach partners, co-workers, and clients. Everything they did was complete the projects and immediately move on to the next one.

Luckily, with platforms such as Easy Render, freelancers can now create connections and communities all around the world. If you’re a freelancer, using Easy Render can help you network with various people. From building relationships with your colleagues to forming long-lasting partnerships, community platforms can be of great assistance to all freelancers.

Finding work

Finding work is yet another topic where full-time employees and freelancers differ. As previously mentioned, full-time company employees only do a small part of the entire project, and they’re not responsible for finding work.

Because companies have many clients and projects on their hands, employees don’t have any issues in searching for some work. Once they finish a project, they immediately move on to the next one, and it’s easy to work through an established company that continually brings new projects into the office.

Freelancers can come across some difficulties concerning finding work, especially if they’re beginners. Barely anyone wants to hire a freelancer who doesn’t have an extensive reference list and impressive portfolio. That’s why most freelancers come across a major obstacle at the beginning of their career, which is the inability to find work and cut deals.

Easy Render solves this issue for freelancers, too, because they can use the platform to easily find all available projects in one place and apply for them. Not only does Easy Render help freelancers find work, but it also makes the entire process go over smoothly, safely, and according to the deal.

Room for progress

Most people strive for progress, and evaluating the available room for progress is something each rendering artist carefully does before making the final decision.

Working full-time for a company is secure but offers limited opportunities for personal progress and growth. Since you’ll most likely be responsible for the same part of the project over and over again, it’ll be challenging to make further progress related to your rendering skills.

Expect to do much more than just fulfilling your daily tasks to see professional progress. Even though it includes a lot of overtime work and effort, it’s rewarded by a higher rank, increased income, and additional benefits when working for a company.

Personal and professional progress is much easier for freelancers. They do entire projects by themselves and always get different requests. With more variety in the projects, freelancers can further improve their skills while resolving various issues each project comes with.

Even if freelancers don’t get a fancy title or a corner office that represents their professional progress, they can see their growth just by the amount they charge for their services. More knowledge and experience allow freelancers to request higher amounts for projects due to their advanced expertise related to rendering.

Your personality matters

Finally, choosing whether you want to be a full-time employee or a freelancer also depends on your own personality. Your perfect profession can change based on what traits you have and the benefits and issues you’re ready to face and work for.

Full-time employment in a company is ideal for anyone who is searching for a steady and secure job that won’t bring drastic and unexpected financial turns. Additionally, it’s best for people who want to stay in their comfort zone and not stress about any issues unrelated to their field. Working in a company also comes with certain benefits, including health insurance, paid sick days, and paid holidays.

Freelancing is designed for people who aren’t afraid of taking risks and experimenting a bit. Expect to come across all kinds of clients and projects while freelancing, which is great if you want to learn how to work and tackle various businesses.

Freelance rendering is much more than that, and since you’ll be your own boss. That includes deciding when you’re taking the days off but also how you’ll manage your monetary funds. Therefore, it comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.

Conclusion

All in all, the two most popular rendering professions both come with their unique sets of advantages and disadvantages. By closely examining what full-time employment and freelancing offer, you can use this article to decide which career path fits your lifestyle and personality.

Ultimately, one profession isn’t better than the other, and you can achieve exceptional success in both. That’s why we strongly suggest you carefully think about what you genuinely want and aim towards making that your reality.