Who is a freelancer? It is a person who performs an assignment for a client under a contract other than an employment contract. You can calmly call such a person a freelancer. A freelancer is certainly characterized by freedom in the choice of assignments and organization of time. Such a person works when he wants and where he wants. Most freelancers do their work in a home jam. The spectrum of freelancers is definitely growing every year, but still the most popular fields in which freelancers work are certainly:
- graphic designer,
- copywriter,
- translator,
- proofreader,
- journalist,
- IT representative,
- web designer,
- photographer,
- personal trainer,
- coach,
- psychologist,
- trainer.
However, it is important to remember that a freelancer can not become one just like that. You need to specialize in a particular field. Freelancing became more popular during the pandemic we all know, when people who lost their jobs wanted to gain some source of income. Admittedly, freelancers have appeared since the beginning of the Internet, but now there are definitely more of them.
How to become a freelancer?
To start working as a freelancer you need to consider whether you are feisty enough to break through the huge crowd of people doing the same thing. It would be good to have your own idea of yourself and something that a potential client will not meet in others. The most important factor in the work of a freelancer is certainly to look for assignments to do because, in fact, without assignments there is no work. It's also good to remember to stick to deadlines. On the surface, the work of a freelancer may seem simple and pleasant. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to make good money you have to set yourself up for hard work, especially now that the freelance market is unfortunately oversaturated. It's also worth mentioning where to start as a freelancer and what portals to advertise on. From my own experience, I can certainly recommend: Useme, Upwork, Guru or Freelancer portal. You can also advertise on Facebook groups. However, I warn you that you need to be patient!
What is worth preparing for in freelance work?
First of all, you need to remember not to reject inconvenient assignments, especially at the very beginning when you don't have a ready-made portfolio which is required by most clients. At the beginning of our adventure, it is not worth looking to earn as much as possible, it is best to just start with low rates for the execution of the order to create a satisfactory portfolio in a short time. It is also a great way to advertise! From time to time it is worth doing an order for a favor, on the principle that you will do the order for free and the client will recommend you in his circle of friends or colleagues. If you get a client who is not familiar with the subject of the order, remember not to look down on him and ridicule him for his lack of knowledge of the subject, but calmly explain what you can recommend in this case, how you see it, what will be the best solution in his case, etc.
Pros and cons of being a freelancer
Many people choose to work as a freelancer because of the lack of an overwhelming office atmosphere. However, it is important to remember that we will work from home for some time, without direct contact with other people. This is great for an introvert, while an extrovert may have trouble with this. It's also worth remembering that in our own home/apartment there are many factors that distract us: a new episode of a TV series, a video game, or social media. A coworking office, or a space to be shared by several freelancers at once, can also be an interesting solution. Just knowing that someone is watching you as you work can be motivating because, as we all know, motivation is hard to come by in your own comfort. The big plus of being a freelancer is that we don't really need any investment to start working. All you need is a willingness to learn, the right motivation and a laptop or phone to work with.
As you can see, becoming a freelancer is easy and a freelance job is exciting, but unfortunately it takes a lot of patience, motivation and self-denial to stay in the position we've earned.
