Advantages – Disadvantages

Question: Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a 
company or organization.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment? 
Sample essay: 
It is true that it is becoming increasingly popular for individuals to choose self-
employment in recent years. In my opinion, working for yourself is a desirable option for 
some reasons but it also comes with its own drawbacks.
To begin with, self-employment is gaining popularity for several reasons. Firstly, when a 
person works for himself, he gains greater freedom to do what he desires than working for 
a company. For instance, a freelance designer or web developer can choose what kind of 
work they do at any given time during their day. Furthermore, a sense of achievement 
tends to be greater for those who are self-employed since they alone are the primary 
contributing factor to their professional successes. On top of them, there is the increased 
probability of achieving financial freedom because the amount of profit derived from 
freelancing or a successful business venture is significantly higher compared to that of 
salary given at work.
However, there are certain downsides to becoming self-employed as well. First of all, 
there are varied risks to starting a new business. If the start-up fails which is highly likely 
given the today’s competitive world, all the financial resources which went into 
establishing and then running the business will inevitably go to waste. This, in turn, could 
lead to a huge amount of debt as well as stress and sometimes depression. At the same 
time, there are no employment benefits such as pensions, sick pay and holiday pay. What 
is more, self-employment involves hard work, long hours and total responsibility on the 
part of the self-employed person. 
In conclusion, while the option to work for oneself is attractive for a variety of reasons, it 
seems to me that it certainly has its own disadvantageous aspects.
(288 words) 

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Your homework: 
The use of cell phones (mobile phones) has increased rapidly in the twenty-first century. 
Additionally, cell phones can now be used for many purposes besides making phone calls. 
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cell phones? 
My essay structure: 
It had indeed become far more common for people to own a mobile phone, which can 
now be used for multiple purposes in addition to making calls. In my opinion, there are a 
number of clear benefits as well as some drawbacks of mobile phone use.
On the one hand, the use of cell phones is beneficial in many ways.
On the other hand, however, using a mobile phone comes with its own drawbacks.
In conclusion, it is my opinion that the growing trend towards mobile phone use has a 
variety of positive and negative aspects.