Jobs are so 20th century. Welcome to the «gig» economy, where more than 20 million Americans are full-time » freelancers ,» «consultants,» «independent contractors» and other code names for not having a «real» job [source: Greenhouse ]. True, the Great Recession forced a lot of workers into the freelance ranks, but more than half of «solopreneurs» actively choose the jobless lifestyle [source: Florida ]. No time clocks, no cubicles, and best of all, no bosses. But how much money can you make without a traditional job? That depends on your skills, experience and flair for self-promotion. Even if you won’t get rich as an independent worker, there are plenty of other benefits to going jobless: You can better adapt your work schedule to family life. You can tinker with many different projects instead of doing the same thing day after day. And, best of all, you call the shots.