Tattoo Artist: Certified? or Free Lance?

Some people may think to themselves, Hey, Should I become a tattoo artist? If the answer is yes then there are a couple different routes you can take. First being, you can choose to go to tattoo school and get your degree or certification (which is mandatory is some, but not all states) or you can set out on your own and work as a "free lance" tattoo artist. I read that many states allow you to work in shops or on your own without taking traditional schooling, but you must have an apprenticeship for a specified amount of time. Being fully certified on the other hand enables you to work in any state and for any shop. Tattoo classes may cost a certain amount of money but they will allow you to work in shops with high notoriety that will pay more. After taking these classes and passing a with a certain grade (varies from state to state) you will be able to get a certification that states you are able to correctly apply the techniques necessary for a safe tattoo. This brings peace of mind to the customer as well as peace of mind to you yourself knowing you wont be infecting anyone. Plus these tattoos are the artists craft and traditional schooling I feel would probably help you if you aren't already skilled in the craft.  I know someone who has had his tattoos done by a free lance artist who says he makes just as much, if not more, than any of his other certified artists who work in licensed shops. Working as a free lance tattoo artist allows you to name your own prices and see as many or as few clients as you like without  having a specified schedule. But on the other hand, you may not be able to work in certain areas without being certified. People also may not be willing to pay as much knowing that you aren't certified and there is a higher risk of the tattoo not being properly done or potentially getting infected.  It's definitely a two-way street and there's no real right or wrong answer because there are pros and cons to each side. Whether free lance or certified, both styles of tattoo artists use the tattoo itself to express themselves, their art and their skills through the tattoos they give.  The people getting these tattoos normally have a vision or reason behind getting them and the tattoo artist enables them to express this vision.