You may be one of the millions of people who are looking for work. Or maybe you’re working part-time and looking for full-time work or you’re lucky enough to have full-time work but are concerned about the stability of the job. If you are one of those people you maybe trying to discover what other options you may have for work. Even though the country is slowly coming out of the recession many companies and small businesses are still struggling and unable or unwilling to take on a lot of new hires. This is why consulting or freelance work might be a better option.

It’s no wonder that self-employment and consulting are growing within every field. And because of the unpredictable job market many of the downfalls to freelancing or consulting are things people face within regular full-time employment anyway, making consulting look even more appealing.  This means now could be the best time to think about making the leap to freelance or consulting.

One of the biggest cons to freelance or consulting work is the lack of health care benefits. But this has always been the biggest challenge to freelance work. According to the Iowa Policy Project 26% of the U.S. workforce had jobs in 2005 that were in one way or another “nonstandard.” That includes independent contractors, temps, part-timers, and freelancers. Of those, 73% had no access to a retirement plan from their employer and 61% had no health insurance from their employer.

That was in 2005, but today more and more industries are seeing an increase in consultants and freelancers. That, alongside the recent Healthcare legislation that was passed, has created a situation ripe for new unions offering healthcare and more insurance companies offering individuals health plans for self-employed. Also many companies have cut down or let go all together their comprehensive benefits, making benefits a challenge even with full-time work.

You can also help tip the scales in your favor when setting your own rates while freelancing or consulting. When coming up with an hourly wage include your monthly insurance premiums in the factor. One of the greatest benefits to consulting work is that you set your pay and you get to decide how much your worth.

Another thing that can play a heavy part in helping you decide whether to work full time or freelance is your family situation. As hourly pay in a regular job sits lower than it has in years and many job falling into a more part-time than full-time situations, many jobs just don’t offset the cost of daycare, especially if you have more than one child.

When working freelance or consulting you can work from home and create a schedule that is conducive to your family.

If your still on the fence about whether to pursue a full-time job or branch out into consulting, another great way to balance the pros and cons of both is by joining a consulting company that can offer the benefits of full-time work yet the freedom of being self-employed.

In the current job climate nothing is set in stone and nothing is guaranteed. That’s why if ever there were a time to take a chance on yourself, now would be it.