3 Hilarious Sites Every Freelancer Should Check Out

The freelance lifestyle has its perks. You can eat ice cream whenever you want, and you get to set your own hours.

There are downsides, however. You only get paid when you do work, and finding work is completely up to you. You also need to be a keen businessman in addition to being talented in your field, because there's no department to take care of the finances for you.

But perhaps the hardest part of freelancing is the lack of people to talk to: you get no real "water cooler" conversation.

Such conversation not only keeps you human, it also allows you to vent about clients and co-workers who are particularly annoying - not to mention commiserating with others who are experiencing crazy situations with clients.

If you find yourself missing such conversation, particularly the so-bad-it's-funny situations, keep reading for a couple of great freelancing online spots to read during your ever-so-rare downtime.

Clients From Hell

A lot of people don't understand the concept of freelancers. For example, some people think paying a freelancer is optional. Others make so many demands that it would almost be better if they did the job themselves.

Clients From Hell documents situations like these; conversations so frustrating it's funny. If you're having a particularly stressful day dealing with your clients this is the stress relief you're looking for. It features golden tidbits like this:

Not Always Right

We've all heard the adage: the customer is always right. It's supposed to promote an agreeable customer service mindset that allows you to always make the client happy. Sometimes that's hard, however.

Not Always Right documents such difficult situations, and they're almost all hilarious. For example:

The site is less specifically focused on freelancers than Clients From Hell, obviously, but it fills the "insane stories heard at work" niche quite nicely. Expect a wide variety of crazy stories from a variety of different industries.

Passive Aggressive Notes

This freelancing online destination is not directly work related, but very much in the same spirit as Clients From Hell and Not Always Right. Focusing on the crazy little notes people leave each other, Passive Aggressive Notes includes gems from work and home alike. Check out this masterpiece, for example:

Bonus Sites

Of course, our own Geeky Fun page is always good for a laugh or two.

Conclusion

Months ago I had a phone conversation with a tech-support client, and it went like this:

Client: You fixed my computer, but my Internet still isn't working all that well.

Me: Okay, how do you connect?

Client: I connect to the Linksys.

Me: And that's not working anymore?

Client: No. I can connect to it, but the Internet doesn't work.

Me: Check the router and make sure it's plugged into your modem.

Client: I don't have either of those. I just use the Linksys.

Me: Okay, so you've been stealing wireless from your neighbor...

Client: No. I'm using the Linksys.

Me: Linksys is just the default name for a router. It's your neighbor's Internet, and you've been stealing it.

*silence*