離開公司,我過得還不錯:成為自由工作者的理想生活提案(簡稱《離開公司》)是一本實用性的書,以務實的觀點講述自由工作者的職涯型態,於2019年出版。
在台灣,所謂成功順遂的人生似乎就只有那麼一條路可走:好好念書、考上好科系、拿個好成績,進到不錯的公司企業學習、最後成為一個上班族,很多時候我們照著既定的發展軌跡來走,以為自己擁有選擇就是一種自由。
只有在夜深人靜時,內心的疑問才會悄悄地破繭而出,幻想那些自由工作者或是創業家的人生是多麼美好,但幻想終究是幻想,多少人沒有勇氣踏出那一步,只能沉沉入睡,明日繼續受雇的人生。
關於作者
本書的作者劉揚銘,是一名文字工作者,在經歷七年採訪編輯、後製編輯等文案工作後,決定離開公司,以另一種型態繼續自己熱愛的文字創作。
在這本書出來之前,其實他還有出版過幾本小眾的書,分別是《高校制服戀物論》與《上班,辭職,還是撐下去?》,若對廣讀沒有特別興趣的朋友們,可能根本不會認識這號人物。
但我認為,這是作者的缺點,卻也是他最大的優點。
作者用自身經歷完成一個見證:「無名如我都能活得很好,出來自由工作真的沒有什麼好擔心的。」
在書中他也不斷用類似的話語來表明,看完讓人坐立不住,突然有了想辭職的衝動。
“我並不是準備好當自由工作者,才踏上這條路的,比起很多有才華的朋友遜色不少,但即使這樣的我,都能抱著沒有退路的想法,接案存活下來,慢慢開拓出一條自由的道路,相信大部分人也做得到。”
這本書在說什麼
劉揚銘以自身觀點出發,說明自己成為自由工作者的契機,接著將話題分成三個大區塊,分別描述起頭(要如何跳脫)、持續(要如何經營)與理想(要如何準備),雖然看似有順序,但是讀者從中間任何一章跳著看都是沒有問題的,書的內容本身就如同書名一樣自由,我們可以簡單拆拆解如下:
關於如何跳脫
自由工作者,一開始最擔心的就是錢從哪裡來,許多人都會抱著這樣的疑問。其實,我們不妨先看看身邊有什麼有趣的事物是自己做裡來覺得有趣又有成就感的,例如寫一些文章心得分享、帶小朋友玩遊戲、又或者是理財教學、簡報教練、環境教育等等,正所謂萬事起頭難,只要有了第一步,後面的機緣就會逐漸迎來。
工作,是先從一件小事慢慢做出來的。
這個概念其實就有點像軟體工程師的side project,總而言之,就是將自己的觸手伸到更廣的地方,探尋更多的可能性。
而對於剛起步的自由工作者,也要注意心態上的轉換,因為你從領固定薪水的上班族變成以成效論英雄的自由工作者,某種程度上你就是創業家,開著一人公司,不做就沒錢,因此千萬不能保持著「上班打混是賺到」的心態。自由工作者雖然自由,但還是要工作(不用工作的叫退休者或富二代)。
因此在創業上,要開始考慮效率以及時程,具體的方式包含使用工作日誌、目標檢討、練習記帳、計畫安排,在某種程度上其實和上班族處理專案沒有差別,唯一不同的是,你處理的是你人生的專案。
作者甚至連自由工作者的建議工作地點都進行各別的分析,可以說是充分考慮各個面向,對於剛起步的新手幫助不小。但他也不諱言,有時候人還是要想清楚,如果不知道想做什麼時,還不如選擇上班,因為那是最安全的決定。像作者就很明白自己要做什麼:
“我喜歡自由工作,因為我討厭裝忙。如果上班可以很快把事情完成,剩下的時間卻不能自由運用,讓人很沮喪。”
關於如何經營
有案子代表有需求,就如同馬雲說過的,「機會就那些被抱怨的地方」,所以作者認為,如果好好做一件事,機會自然會找上門,簡單來說就是靠口碑。
書中的第二章節談到一些更具體的建議,包含對於案件的評估、合約的簽訂、如何報價還有和業主溝通等等,也就是說,當你順利成為自由工作者,說明你已經有謀生的本事或能力,但要如何讓它穩定,中間的眉角非常多,而由於這種單打獨鬥的個體戶性質,有時候反而會讓資訊不流通,這時有這樣一本書就會有很大的幫助。
畢竟輪子已經在那裏了,我們拿來用就好,不用重新自己畫設計圖。
書中也提到,事實上自由工作者需要的要素很簡單:才華、準時和好相處(特別說明擇二即可),真是太有趣了,我們人本來就不是完美的,所以不用要求自己非要完美不可,如果你個性很難搞,但是設計的成果很頂尖,那麼業主也只能乖乖配合你,又或者你沒什麼才華,但是人好相處、配合度高,同時交稿還準時,這樣也能拿到穩定的案源來糊口。
簡單說,拿到案件還不夠,如何經營也是一門學問。
關於要如何準備
《離開公司》的最後一部分和序章首尾呼應,主要談自由工作者的心法,以及應該要做好的準備,作者建議,任何人在決定脫離之前,都應該好好問問自己:到底想要怎麼樣的生活?
自由工作,不代表不用工作,我們是為了獲取時間上的自由才決定跳脫出來,而為了得到這樣的自由,就必須保持對等的自律,這是毫無疑問的。
《原子習慣》也曾經提到過:
“你有多自律,就有多自由。”
作者自己也深刻思考過類似的問題:假設我們做的是自己熱愛的事,那麼退休還有必要嗎?又或者自己現在的職位已經是本身熱愛的事物,又有必要離開公司嗎?
本書是很好的路引,雖然主題是文字領域的自由工作者,但是中間的問題都很值得我們去思考,即使是上班族,也應該重新思考工作的意義:
“這本書,描述的就是我的嘗試方法、犯錯教訓,還有交換的代價。不過我摸索出來的道路,也只是解開工作謎團的其中一條路線而已,每個人都可以有自己的路線,而且比我的更寬廣自在才對。”

很多人以為自由工作者就如同圖片中悠閒,其實不然(image credit: Daria Shevtsova via Pexels)
後記
雖然看完後會有種莫名的熱血,有種想要馬上遞辭呈的衝動,但是對於創業成為自由工作者,每個人的自身條件都不一樣,以我自己的看法,還是建議要審慎評估,我們可以看看作者的條件:
- 不用給孝親費,父母健在
- 太太給予支持,甚至能夠自己自足(你能和伴侶五五分帳嗎)
- 有過七年的工作經驗,已經具備經驗與人脈
光是這三點,我認為就是一堵高牆,讀者在考慮自由工作時也應該要謹慎行事,並不是說絕對不可能,只是風險度毫無疑問會較高。
但反過來說,世上又哪裡有無風險的事呢?有時候人生的決定常常就在轉瞬之中奔向不同的地方,命運的岔路何其多,我們能做的就是有足夠的勇氣,面對可能到來的機會。
“機會不是給準備好的人,因為準備好的人不一定需要這個機會,而且嚴格說,沒人能在事前知道自己準備好了沒。機會可能站在有勇氣和有時間嘗試的人身邊,我希望自己有勇氣,而且隨時都有時間,去完成自己喜歡的事。”
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