Written by: Flexing It
16/09/2022
5 minutes read
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How to start your career as a Freelancer?
Freelancing offers an incredible opportunity to control the way that you work. You can work whenever and from wherever if you are a freelancer. These alluring benefits are fueling the expansion of the freelancing sector. According to a recent freelancing research study, more than one-third of the American workforce today works as a freelancer in some form.
The flexibility of choice is a benefit of freelancing. In 2022, there are numerous routes to success for independent contractors. You can start your adventure in your spare time or as a full-time job.
Even though the job market has undergone enormous change over the last two years, freelancing has remained consistent. This has been seen over the past year with an increase in the number of new business registrations and self-employment reaching its highest level in more than ten years.
More younger generations than older ones work as independent contractors. The Flexing it Talent Dashboard observed an increase of nearly 50% in the 3-5 years experienced freelancers' category from Q1 FY22 and 25% from Q4 FY22 as younger professionals explore gig work.
Freelancing is expanding, as indicated by both this study and other data sources
For both new and seasoned freelancers, flexibility and freedom are important motivators:
Freelancing is a profession of choice, driven by a desire for greater flexibility (24%) and to build a brand as a specialist (21%) followed by the desire to earn the full value of their skill (19%) as per our report, ‘Understanding perspectives of Skilled Freelancers’.
Freelancing has a promising future: 90% of freelancers think that "the best days are ahead" for their line of work; Compared to 58% of non-freelancers, two-thirds (67%) of freelancers say they are hopeful about their careers in 2022.
The freedom to select your workload is another advantage of freelancing.
- You can choose initiatives that are significant to you.
- Work as much or as little as you like.
- Avoid the interruptions of a full-time job, such as meetings, office politics, and other distractions.
- You can concentrate on the work you love.
Compared to any full-time work, freelancing offers faster prospects for growth. Excellent interpersonal skills and the capacity to handle various situations are also fostered. This is a result of the exposure gained through working concurrently in a range of fields, domains, and organizations.
A freelance career can be seen as the microcosm of a person's entire life. It ultimately results in a person becoming a better person. When one is able to see life as a whole, something much broader than a single work or client, this naturally occurs as a part of the process, which is why the younger generation has much of its inclination towards freelancing as a career option. Some young freelancers have testified as to how their freelancing career have given them the creative space to explore their career which is at a very nascent stage.
One of the most crucial steps to kick off your career as a young freelancer would be choosing the correct freelancing platform to start your work. Here are some points that you should keep in mind to choose the correct platform:
- Find a freelance website that is more specific based on your skills rather than a general freelance website
- Carefully go through the operations of the freelance website
- Read all the terms and conditions of the freelance website carefully before signing up
- Customer Support
- Commission fees
- Payment modes available
- Research about the freelance website from forums and people who are already working with that website before signing up
In addition to having to cope with erratic revenue, you are completely responsible for finding work and managing your time and resources as a freelancer. Additionally, freelancers are excluded from any employee benefits and are responsible for managing their own financial difficulties such as taxes, unplanned costs, and slow-paying clients, to name a few.
Do not let the obstacle of erratic cash flow prevent you from pursuing your freelance career desire. The benefits of the freelance lifestyle can be very lucrative with careful planning.
IT Services (15%), Advertising & Media (12%), and E-commerce (9%) are cited as the top attraction by new freelancers, followed by the option to work remotely by 40+% of them according to the Flexing It Talent Dashboard for this quarter.
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