These UAE residents quit their 9-5 jobs for freelancing

Freelancing is being increasingly seen as a promising avenue to advance one’s career in the UAE, offering a competitive edge, especially for younger individuals entering the workforce in Dubai.

The combination of high-stress work environments, rising competition, and stagnant salaries has prompted many employees to shift from job searching to job creation.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, many residents, both young and veterans, reiterated that for most people in the UAE, weekdays often pass in a blur of routines until 5 or 6 pm, when they finally finish work.

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‘It’s all about confidence’

For fresh graduates, freelancing has emerged as a valuable way to kickstart their careers and gain a competitive edge. Zaid Sami, a recent graduate and graphic designer based in Dubai’s JBR, has been steadily freelancing alongside his 9-to-5 job.

Sami believed he had to get creative to stand out in a job market as competitive as Dubai’s. Instead of only job hunting, he also built a graphic design portfolio, took social media marketing classes, and suddenly found clients approaching him.

“Freelancing has both negatives and positives,” he said. The biggest positive for a creative like himself is the freedom and time management it provides. Sami cites the ability to pick projects, timings, and clients as a breath of fresh air.

Despite that, he highlighted, it’s common for clients, individuals, and companies alike to make lowball offers due to amateurs diluting the job market. “You need enough know-how to understand when a company is trying to dupe you. Some things, like a brand image, may take weeks, even months, to build,” he added.

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Despite the influx of talent, as UAE-based freelancers increase by the year, Sami says that worthwhile clients who understand your effort are everywhere. However, the accompanying instability might be enough to force some people to go back into 9-5s, but it inversely draws in others who cannot stomach routines.

“While some startups, for example, may pay very little, others might consider your work invaluable and pay you very well,” Sami says. Some of his freelancing projects have paid more than his 9-5. His decision to brave the traffic to JBR is purely to establish himself in his field as a fresh face.

“I don’t think anyone would choose to stop freelancing,” he said. “I’ll tell you this, if anyone does stop, they’ll come straight back if someone gives them a good enough project to work on.”

‘A conventional work arrangement is unthinkable’

Azeem Ahmed, a freelance videographer, came to the UAE in 2021. Although he was forced to close his car business in Pakistan due to Covid-19, he was determined to carve out his path in a new country. Ahmed’s first and only 9-5 job in the UAE didn’t last long — only three months.

“I've harboured a deep-seated ambition to establish myself professionally in Dubai,” he said.

After the Covid-19 global recession, Ahmed said the freelancing market was stagnant. Rampant layoffs and more free time led to hundreds of people learning potentially marketable skills, diluting the market. The Pakistani expat credits his survival as a freelancer to his adaptability, which allowed him to work through the market’s shifting needs.

The 28-year-old said his career change was facilitated by the UAE’s “uniquely supportive ecosystem for freelancers” and its “straightforward setup process.”

The freedom, flexibility, and personal growth he experienced while freelancing for a few years have permanently soured his view on 9-5s. “I can confidently say that returning to a traditional 9-to-5 job is not an option for me,” he said.

“There's simply no going back.”

‘Focus on honing my craft than juggling multiple roles’

Skipping commutes, working from home, and deciding your schedule might appeal to many, but some freelancers have returned to the 9-5 they once shunned.