To start this off, let me define what a freelancer is: Someone who sells their services without a long-term contract.
Now, thats not to say that a freelance will not have a contract job- infact many freelancers take on jobs that require some type of contracting, even if it is temporary. They make take on work for an individual or work for a large company doing several different jobs. And they can have as many clients as they wish to have at one given time. Freelancing makes some companies roles easier as they don’t have a part-time or full-time employee to hire and pay. Which can also save them money in the long run
Since the dawn of the web we have seen more and more people take on the roll of a freelancer. It could be that their day to day schedule is hectic or not as fun as they’d like. Freelancing is somewhat like choosing a college. Only you choose whether you want to work at home or in an office. Freelancing can offer the person’s to gain contact with other freelancers, which can also enhance a job due to a partnership or for more exposure. Basically, as the technology progresses for the internet we will see many more online jobs and many more freelancers in different fields.
Let’s let it out in the air that, first off, freelancing is NOT for everyone, so therefore, not everyone should attempt unless they have a good amount of savings or are pretty good at what they do. For example - a web designer. There are TONS of web designers out there and finding the right one is hard. Clients, customers or guests, whichever you want to call them are looking for more than just skills. They want to see work you have done, goals you have planned and how well you are to adapt to sudden changes in plans. Especially with tough competition by either Highly trained designers that charge too much or mediocre designers that charge to little and the few that are actually quite good and charge a very small amount - It’s going to be competitive, so you will have to keep up with your competition in order to get the work you desire.
There are many specialties that can involve freelancing. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?
- Web Design
- Graphic Design
- Photographer
- Interior Designer
- Writer
- journalist
- landscaper
And many more…but that’s just some of the popular areas that people get involved with when doing freelancing. So, the first step to understanding whether you have the skills is to evaluate your current life, how well you believe you can be as your own boss as well as surveying the current economic trends to find out if your expertise is actually needed.
So, now you know what the term, "freelancing" means, the different jobs you can do as a freelancer and how the web changes the future of freelancing - But! There is also alot more to freelancing, such as leaving your job permanently, managing your money, great customer service and so on. That will be discussed more in depth in Part 2 of, How to become a successful freelancer.
