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Freelancing has become the worlds best kept secret for financial freedom, and it's hidden right under your nose.
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Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Not As Deep As It Sounds
When I was a freshman in college, I remember sitting in an 8 am philosophy class under a haze of exhaustion. I worked 40 hours a week and had a full time load of classes as well. As the professor droned on about the Socratic method, I floated off to sleep. At some point shortly after that, I was awoken by a Nerf football to my head. A laugh was had by all... it was funny. The professor asked me why I was always so tired, and I explained my academic and work schedule. He nodded understandingly, then said " Either you're chained to a desk working for the man, or someone is chained to a desk working for you. Choose wisely." At 18 years of age, that was deep. Even philosophical. It took me 10 years to realize it wasn't deep... and it was mostly wrong.
Yes, working a standard 8+ hour work day at an established company belonging to someone else is the most common scenario for people worldwide. The other scenario is owning a business that generates you money while others do the dirty work. However, my philosophy teacher never considered working for others while being your own boss... no 9-5 chain included.
Welcome to Freelancing!
So what exactly is freelancing? Freelancing is working for someone as an independent contractor or business. Freelancers get hired by companies to do specialized jobs either part time or on a short-term basis. Freelancers are often referred to as independent contractors, as stated above, consultants or contract workers. As implied in the name, you are your own boss. You decide when to work, how much work you take on and how much time you decide to dedicate to that work. Flexibility is a major perk.
Yeah but I already have a job...
As stated earlier, you decide how much work to take and when you want to work. This is the perk of flexibility I talked about. More people than you can imagine are supplementing their full time job with freelance work, made possible by that level of flexibility and control. Want to work only 3 days a week? You can decide how much work and when you take on that work to accomplish that. Want to make $100,000 a year? Do the math for how many clients you need, the average price you'll have to charge and get after it. Need to work from home/the coffee shop/she-shed or mancave? The majority of freelance work, depending on your niche, allows you to work from wherever you want!
At 18 years of age, that was deep. Even philosophical. It took me 10 years to realize it wasn't deep... and it was mostly wrong.
Sounds Interesting...But What Would I Do?
It's about this point where most people that find this appealing will start to doubt their ability to make this work with the number 1 reason being: I don't know what to do or where to start. Let's get into it.
What do you know about and enjoy? Photography? Blogging? You like to write? Computer programmer? Website creation or design? Do you speak multiple languages and can translate text or speech? Ever hear of a virtual assistant? Are you a musician? Software engineer? These are just a small sample of things you can get paid for as a freelancer. There is no shortage of work either.
Once you choose what you'd like to do, it's time to jump the next hurdle: You don't think you know enough to *actually* make money from it, right? Well that might be true in some cases. I mean if you've never done webpage design, you might not be able to get right out there and get paid for it. There are many opportunities, however, to hone ones skills for someone who has had some experience in a particular job but not necessarily enough to charge top dollar.
OK... So Who Does a Girl Have to Know to Start Making Some Freelance Money?
So you've made it this far and you're ready to try strike out onto the path to a brave new world of Financial Freedom: but where are these jobs, and how do I get them? First of all, congratulations on making the decision... with some determination, consistency, and a willingness to learn and improve your skills you're financial future is already brighter. As for the jobs, they are as close to you as the internet. There are a multitude of websites that allow you to sign up and offer your services for cash. As of the time of writing this, Fiverr is our most recommended. In our opinion, they have the most diverse niches, simplest platform to use, and allows for brand new members to freelance work to get to work as soon as possible. They even allow you to take courses with professionals in your chosen field to increase your skills with Fiverr Learn. There are many more sites however, so do your research and choose whichever you'd like. Here is a blog post listing the 6 best freelance sites.
(Note: The logo for The Freelance Finance was created by a Fiverr freelancer. The experience was excellent so clicking that link will take you to her ad page. I intentionally chose a newer logo creator to show support for newer creators, and show that it's possible to hone ones craft on the site until you can charge more.)
Conclusion:
Freelance work is beneficial because of the extreme amount of flexibility and income it can draw in. Many people work a 9-5 job and supplement their income with freelance work.
You don't need to be a professional or specialist with a long storied resume to get started working for money in your chosen niche.
Whenever possible take courses from experts in your chosen field to increase your chances of getting hired and to sharpen your skills.
Be brave and start making extra income in a hobby or chosen fields of your choice today. You won't regret it.
-TFF
Start your freelance career today! Read my 2 Part step-by-step series on How to Start a Blog.
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