This article is about people who are just taking their first steps and those who have already gone into the deepest waters of this vast ocean of opportunities called freelancing. Books, tutorials, and videos that explain what freelancing is are endless. Why; It’s simple. There are many people who ask how to become a freelancer, they want to learn and they are constantly getting more and more. For example, the technician you took your broken laptop to for repair, since he is not an employee, he is a freelancer. That is, a freelancer. You didn’t expect that, did you?
To be honest, although the term freelancing means exactly what you read above, there is something more. The freelancing empire has been built around the industry generally labeled as a creative one. It is necessary to acclimatize with the philosophy and culture so that you can answer the question “How to become a freelancer”.
What jobs can I start as a freelancer?
The areas of activity of a freelancer are many and constantly increasing. But everything is under the umbrella of the web and creativeness. Let me be more specific and answer how to become a freelancer with some examples.
Music, writing, programming, illustration, marketing, web design, graphic design, domain name, translation, video editing, photoshop, apps & games, as well as photo and video creation. For each of these areas, there are many subcategories and offshoots. But the best thing is that for every topic and every sub-category of the topic that interests you, there is the teaching part! That is someone who did, for example, a good job as a web designer freelance can now teach his knowledge and experience. So we have a freelance teacher. In general, courses of any kind are a separate category.
What it takes to become a freelancer
Let’s start with what it doesn’t take to become a freelancer. You don’t need a degree, to begin with. Be careful. I’m not implying that you don’t need knowledge. Nor am I implying that having a degree is negative. I’m just letting you know that no one will ask you what school you graduated from if you have degrees and in general no one will ask you anything (sometimes not even your last name). Just do your job well. For example, if you declare that you can translate a page of a site and you do it correctly, that’s it. Even if you have a language degree or not! That’s it.
I guess the above paragraph encouraged many of you. And indeed it is. I know people who are freelancers without a degree in the subject. But I don’t know any successful freelancer who doesn’t have knowledge on the subject. Who has not thrown all-nighters on reading especially at the beginning so that he can become better? To correct his mistakes and weaknesses. There are no magic recipes to become easily and quickly successful. But there are endless opportunities to try.
What a successful freelancer does (practically)
Let’s see it with a simple example. Let’s say that you want to become a video editor. You haven’t been to any school. But you have spent several hours on your own as an amateur. You’ve downloaded and mastered one of the many free programs out there and you feel ready to take it to the next step. So after you find your first client (we’ll get there later) your work will definitely have some imperfections. If you want to improve you have to practice. Many hours. Invest the money you made in a better program. Drop your prices or even do work for free, so that some clients can trust you and create what we call a portfolio.
That is your resume. This way you will be able to attract other customers and you will become better through practice at the same time. The practices that some may follow may vary from industry to industry it is useful to use broader concepts that are adapted accordingly to each individual case.
Organization: The key component!
Start with the simple one. When will you work? For how much money? How much you will save, and how much you will invest in your work. Be consistent in your appointments. Respect the deadlines. Organize all the data you have about your jobs on your PC. Especially at the beginning, because it will be a small volume you will think you remember everything. No! Take notes. Keep a diary. Keep a schedule. Get organized.
Contact
The freelancing market is global. Your English has to be very well! There is a chance that someone will offer you a job speaking English. You should be ready (of course this is not something that English should worry about). Also by the term communication, I mean the broader communication skills that are that little plus in your portfolio. It can make the difference between getting a job or losing one. Be polite. Show a willingness to negotiate.
Evolution
Read constantly. Study. Be better. Especially at the beginning. Always ask for advice. See YouTube tutorials of successful freelancers on how they did it. There’s a lot you don’t know. You don’t have to know everything. But the big secret is to know that almost anything related to freelancing is out there for you. Many times for free! Free!
Dedication
The lifestyle, process, and career development of a freelancer can have many ups and downs. Especially at first. If you want to live and really learn what freelancing is, you have to dedicate yourself to it and give it time and energy.
Where do I start?
The answer is simple. On the internet. There are many platforms in recent years that offer you the opportunity to show your work and at the same time ask for work. Just like in a flea market, customers come into contact with sellers, see their products, try them on, negotiate prices and finally buy. Except in the case of freelancing this market is an online platform/page, with clients from every corner of the earth. The seller is you and the product is the service you offer. For example photo editing. You register on the page, state what job you offer and some information about yourself and that’s it.
We all have fantasies of quitting our jobs… and in that fantasy, we’re always cute dive into a freelance career where we have a roster full of clients who all pay on time. But that smooth slide into freelancing rarely happens. You’ll want to have at least three to six months of living expenses (rent, bills, food) to tide you over until you find your regular client list. We suggest freelancers do the same before they dramatically break up with their boss for the last time.
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