There are so many variations to the occupation of "self employed". People who work from home, Professionals with degrees, Licensed Professionals such as Realtors, etc....
Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary self employed is defined as follow: "Main Entry: self-em·ployed 
: earning income directly from one's own business, trade, or profession rather than as a specified salary or wages from an employer".
The occupations may vary, but one main similarity remains. Get to work or don't get paid. Some self employed individuals have the flexibility of making their own schedules and actually scheduling appointments, other's depend on walk in traffic and marketing. Some have assistants or workers. But at the end of the day, if the services rendered are yours, you make the money. You are responsible for all the bills, salaries, insurance coverage, liability and all the other glorious expenses that go into running a business. When cash is short you are the bank. On the other hand, when business is good, the income is yours to spend at your discretion. That is until April 15th of each year. Nothing a good accountant can't handle. 
Sometimes the self employed individual is misidentified as someone who has more hours in their day than most. I'm sure most can relate to the phone call from a friend or family member, that goes something like this..."Can you wait for the Fed Ex man, or can you get Fifi from the vet for me? With the flexibility of the self employed vs. the salaried employee who reports to a supervisor during 9 hours of their day, sometimes others take advantage and because they think flexibility equals much free time, they try to cash in.
There are not enough hours in the day if the self employed person is actively trying to make a living. If a self employed individual makes time to spend quality daytime hours with their family, we usually make it up by working in the evening and weekends. Vacations are disrupted and sick time is very costly. So, family and friends, please respect that.
A good comparison is the stay at home parent who is busy tending to children, picking up and dropping off, running errands, keeping their home clean and tidy while still responsible for shopping, unloading, storing, and preparing all three meals for their family. I'm sure they love it when someone calls them to go wait for a package as if the rest of their day is free time. Parenting is being self employed in one of the most important and rewarding careers of all.
So, being self employed, good or not good? I wouldn't change it for anything. 
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