Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Freelance

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Saturday 10th March 2012

• Freelancer F*ck Ups: Don't Make My Mistakes!

  by Matthew Schiffman

  Working as a freelancer is stressful. It can be unreliable, unpredictable…and downright unnerving. Your taxes are higher, your paychecks are sporadic, and your health insurance will double. So why would you dare walk down this career path? In spite of its blemishes, freelancing gives you a great amount of latitude in defining your career trajectory, along with the satisfaction of being held accountable primarily to yourself. Benefits of freelancing include more family time, flexible work hours, no bosses breathing down your neck and the option to work in your skivvies. This session will teach you how to take advantage of the burgeoning freelance-working trend and navigate around the pitfalls you’re most likely to encounter. Journey with me on a freelancer's path, where I'll share my most dreadful mistakes so you can avoid making them.

  • Careers
  • Freelance
  • Work

  At 12:30pm to 12:45pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Texas Ballroom 4-7, Hyatt Regency Austin

• The Freelance Rockstar

  by Christin Roman and Josh Knowles

  Working independently. It's fairly common in the tech world, but there are also many, many misconceptions and stereotypes. Josh has been working independently as a developer for the better part of the past fifteen years and has learned many lessons not only about what it means to work freelance as far as lifestyle goes, but also many practical bits of info about dealing with money, contracts, clients, personal marketing, and how to fix things when it all seems to go wrong. Christin Roman has just made the big jump from working as a full-time user experience designer to working independently. She will speak about the process of making the big leap -- what sort of planning it took, what the dangers were, and how it's turned out so far. And we can both speak to the idea of working freelance as a lifestyle choice -- balancing work and life, etc. We would also like to keep this open to audience discussion about experiences and techniques for living the life of a freelance rockstar!

  • Developers
  • Freelance
  • lifestyle
  • Marketing

  At 12:30pm to 1:30pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Rio Grande Ballroom, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

• Screw the Job Market: Young + Passionate ≠ Broke

  by Molly Mahar and Tara Gentile

  Yes, you are an expert. Yes, you can make money doing your own thing. No, you don’t have to work for the next hot start-up or within the confines of Corporate America to do it. Michelle Ward of When I Grow Up and Molly Mahar of Stratejoy are young, profitable, and passion-fueled full-time entrepreneurs. In this core conversation, we'll all be talking about how we can do we love without living in our parent's basement. Yup - it *is* possible to create a passionate business that actually pays the bills. The job market can suck it. Not to be missed by beginner solopreneurs, recent grads, the laid off (and appreciative!), side hustlers, and those who are currently employed but looking to break free of the golden handcuffs. Come ready to share your wins, struggles and stories in this interactive conversation!

  • Careers
  • Freelance

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Rio Grande Ballroom, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

Monday 12th March 2012

• The Next Big Thing

  by Matt Barrie

  The Internet is delivering its next tectonic shift upon society - disruption of the global labor markets. There are 7 billion people in the world, but only 2 billion people on the Internet. The other 5 billion are connecting now, at double and triple digit rates. Remarkably, they live today on around $8 a day or less. The first thing they are looking to do when they connect is raise their standard of living- by finding a job online. This is the vanguard of an economic revolution that is sweeping emerging economies and the developing world. Find out from Matt Barrie, CEO of the world's largest outsourcing marketplace, what this means for society, business and how you live your personal life. Discover how a new entrepreneurial class is arising on both sides of the world as both developing and developed world small business owners serendipitously work together, and find out how YOU can transform YOUR business into a virtual multinational corporation on a shoe string budget!

  • Freelance
  • Outsourcing

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday 12th March

  In Ballroom EF, Austin Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip sketch note

Tuesday 13th March 2012

• The Future of Work and the Free Radical

  by Benjamin Dyett, Josh Rubin, Scott Belsky, Richard Schatzberger and Althea Erickson

  How we work is changing. But where we work isn’t.

  Over the last ten years a new way of working has emerged, along with some people who live it every day. They’re available 24/7. They network endlessly, and then plug their skills into others’ in surprising combinations. They choose when and how they do what they do, on their terms. They don’t want job security – they want career fluidity. We call them free radicals. And they’re creating the future of work.

  But when they look for a place to do all that, the options are weirdly outdated: office, home, or on the go – say, a café. Those are actually poor choices. Offices mean fixed cost and daily routine. Home is isolated and full of distractions. And cafés get old after the second latté.

  Be transported by this panel of experts into the future of work, as they walk you through their vision of the ideal work experience for free radicals just like you.

  • Careers
  • Freelance
  • Productivity
  • Work

  At 12:30pm to 1:30pm, Tuesday 13th March

  In Brazos, Marriott Courtyard Austin Downtown/Convention Center

  Coverage write-up audio clip