19/02/2026
“The Price of Freedom”
When most people talk about “freedom”, they immediately talk about traveling, throwing every responsibility away and running off into the sunset.
But what these people are not aware of is that freedom is not inherently free. It does come with a price tag— and an expensive one at that.
Here’s what I learned about freedom from my rollercoaster of a career.
My career trajectory was anything but conventional. Unlike most of my peers, I wasn’t the type to compete with others to enter big companies and work the way up the ladder. And that’s because I never wanted to just be part of a machine with no impact.
Now, I did have a lot of offers when I was about to graduate because I was an already established ghostwriter during college. But unlike others, I didn’t strive for the usual path of writing in advertising or in publishing.
Instead, I chose to have my first day job in a startup company. And my main reason was because I wanted freedom— freedom to explore and learn whatever I wanted and needed to learn. Unlike being in a more established company, the usual corporate red tape makes the freedom to learn and experiment very limited.
But this move didn’t come without risks. Although I had the freedom to absorb so many learnings, there would always be the risk of the company not being able to pull through— which is exactly what happened. During the course of this job, we eventually lost our office because the sales couldn’t catch up with the expenses.
That’s why I already experienced working out of office before it even became a thing. I started working in cafes, public parks, and even in my old alma mater because wifi and electricity were free.
Eventually the company did close and I moved on. However, I still didn’t apply for the usual corporate job and instead, I worked with a freelance writing company as a writer, editor, and project manager. Unlike the usual employee though, I was compensated per project.
Again, this move came with significant risks because if there were no projects, I wouldn’t have anything to work on. And if that company closed, then I’d be back to square one.
But I did all of those because of freedom. I was not held by the neck because I wasn’t under anyone’s payroll. I gave them my expertise and they gave me clients. This kind of setup fit my personality because I love collaborating and working with various people. But I was never to type to go under anyone’s command without question.
I did have to work in corporate for a while but I eventually made the shift to entrepreneurship. This time, I was after financial freedom. I didn’t want anyone using money to hold a leash over me. I wasn’t the type to bend the knee to any boss.
Now, what I learned from all my career transitions is that I value autonomy of choice above anything else, even if it did come with some risks. Of course, there is a heavy price for having those kinds of standards.
I had to constantly get out of my comfort zone and force growth and identity shifts because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t survive.
But for me, freedom from dependency is more important than any money, title, position, or connection that you can ever give me because with this autonomy, I can make true impact.
Now, freedom is often romanticized as a lifestyle of travel, mobility, and an escape from reality. Many think it means having fewer responsibilities.
But what I learned over the years is that freedom itself is a responsibility. It is a power that you need to pay for in sweat and effort so that you can rid yourself of major dependencies on your surroundings.
So the next time someone talks to you about wanting independence, ask them what they’re willing to pay first.