I feel like this article lacks a fundamental understanding of the labor market. The beauty of being self employed and working for multiple clients means that,

I feel like this article lacks a fundamental understanding of the labor market. The beauty of being self employed and working for multiple clients means that, if you are constantly promoting your skills, you can accelerate your way up the proverbial ladder. If you get a "real job", you might have an opportunity for a raise or a promotion once every year; 6 months at best. Working for yourself, you can have that opportunity every day. If your client wants to maintain freedom with you by hiring you as a freelancer, then there's no reason you can't do the same with them. Only committing 10-20 hours a week to a client allows you to do that. Get a client for $10/hr at 20 hours a week, then start shopping for a client at $15/hr at 15 hours a week. Once you find that, look for a $30/hr client at 20 hours a week. When you find that, dump the $10/hr client and start looking for a $40/hr client. THAT is how you climb the ladder. And it doesn't just have to be about money - you can substitute money for creative freedom or benefits or working conditions or whatever you're in the labor market for.