I have Google alerts set for a few variations on the words freelancing and freelance, as a pulse check on what’s happening in the industry. Over the past few months, I’ve seen a trend of opinions that gives me pause: The idea that millennials can and should go straight into freelancing, no traditional job experience required.

I’m as much of a proponent of entrepreneurship and self employment as anyone I know. Having been at it for 16 years as of this month, I can’t think of anything I’d rather do. The underlying fact is, however, that I doubt I would have survived at it without a solid decade of working at small, medium, and large companies before going solo. [Read more…]