Freelancing is essentially contract-based employment in which a person takes on little contracts or tasks with several clients rather than working at a company permanently. They help these clients with their necessary chores by utilizing their talents, expertise, and education. Some freelance skills are music, writing, computer programming, web design, graphic designing, illustrating, website building, and many other complex skills.
Nowadays, remote job opportunities continue to increase, and many employers prefer to appoint freelance workers to reduce employment costs. Unlike a permanent fixed job, it offers freelancers freedom and control over their clients.
Even many professionals prefer to work as freelancers, as they can set a time for that. They provide services to their clients, so temporarily, clients pay them for a project.
This is a form of business that anyone of any age and region can do without extra effort, but they should have the required skill set. Today, even children of 15 years are making money just by freelancing.
Freelancing as a developing opportunity
Many people in the post-pandemic world now think that working independently is the way of the future, and they are not mistaken. Millions of people are replacing their desk jobs with laptops in their beds, ushering in a new era of virtual laborers.
Freelance marketplaces like Fiverr and UpWork have increased user signing up and traffic. Currently, Upwork, which has 17 million active members, is the leading site for freelance work, followed by Fiverr, which has over 7 million users.
Due to the pandemic?, many people had furloughs and lost their full-time employment. Many people chose to freelance as a method of subsistence since they had nothing to lose.
However, it appears that this work pattern will continue. A study found that 60% of freelancers made more money than they did at their previous employment, which is why more and more people are deciding to work for themselves.
Here are some statistics to illustrate how popular freelancing has become over time:
- Freelancers account for 5% of the US economy’s GDP, or around US$1.4 trillion.
- According to Statista research, most of the US workforce will be independent contractors by 2027.
- This is a remarkable statistic that you probably didn’t know. Google’s workforce comprises 54% freelancers and 46% full-time workers.
There are a wide variety of remote employment options available to you. If you’re still unsure about why freelancing is a good career option, read on and see our list below. You can make a selection after learning about all the advantages.
11 Reasons to Consider Freelancing as a Career Option
Many people believe that “freelancing” is something you do when you cannot find employment. However, “freelancers” know nothing could be more realistic than holding dual roles of owner, director, and financial manager. Today is the era where one can build oneself in their way, and that’s why freelancing is the best. Below are 11 reasons to consider freelancing as a career option:
1. Gaining work experience
Freelancing provides an environment different from a regular job, but the tasks a person is eligible to do are like the original job. In this sector, a candidate will gain many work experiences, which will surely help them if they want to do their own business or a regular and permanent job in the future.
No matter what their role is, they will gain experiences that will be very enriching; they will become better learners and problem solvers. Though it is not like a job, there are some work ethics and work conditions that they will remember in the future. A better way to work on it.
2. Learning many new things
A person who is a freelancer will get to know how projects execute in real life because there is a difference between when we learn a skill and when we finally complete it.
Work may come from anywhere for a freelancer. There are no geographical limitations on you. You get knowledge of diverse work cultures and communication methods while dealing with clients from other nations.
You have the chance to create lasting professional contacts that will improve your networking and broaden your connections. You have the opportunity to communicate with other independent contractors while working on a project. From the convenience of your home, you can experience the global workforce. Additionally, it adds a splash of colour to your résumé.
3. Learning new skill set
Freelancing allows you to work on many projects simultaneously. This enables you to learn something new with each new project.
Working as a freelancer enables one to venture outside their comfort zone and pursue a passion they’ve always had but were too scared to pursue.
Also, someone who wants to be a freelancer should have some hard skills so the company can keep them. Today, people start focusing on their hard skills like content writing, photography, graphic designing, and coding, and there are many. They know how it adds to their all-around personality and earnings when they have a good skill set.
In some way or another, freelancing is a type of self-employment where a working person must continuously practice and excel in their skills.
4. Building a startup
Freelance is a type of business where different clients come to you. They offer various payment prices, and a person in this field knows how he can attract clients in the “business world.” This a good type of startup because you don’t need any labor, machines, or land, just a laptop, and internet, and your true potential is “what you can do.”
5. Increasing flexibility
As a freelancer, you may be free to live wherever you choose and even travel while working since you aren’t tied to a particular employer or supervisor. Even though you might need to be close to your clients if you work as a freelancer, you can get clients everywhere.
Since a lot of freelance work is done online, you may work entirely remotely, have customers worldwide, and live and travel as you like while doing it. There is no time limit or location limitation. Anyone can do it anytime and anywhere. Yes, there is a deadline but not so strict. It’s just a sign of how professional you are. And there is no compulsion to stretch if a candidate doesn’t enjoy the company.
6. Starting to work without a boss
Many people find it challenging to work under a boss. They like to be their boss. There is no way of dealing with pressure in this freelancing field: no strict policies, rules, and regulations for working just from the comfort of your home. A candidate can hunt the clients he wants to work with. Moreover, you can take on tasks that won’t exhaust you too much and provide you with plenty of time and energy to focus on your side hustle.
7. Staying away from politics, maybe
In regular jobs, where many people work together, no matter how good and strict rules a company makes, sometimes they make groups, and sometimes it takes a form of politics at the workplace, which is so common today.
This affects the actual productivity of people working and directly or indirectly affects the performance of a business. Freelancing work is not like this. It is a better option for introverts who don’t like working in office conditions.
8. Feeling the freedom
Since freelancers often do not have an agreement with their employers, they are free to quit their jobs whenever they want if they do not like the working environment or discover a better one.
A freelancer can work whenever he wants or not sign the project when he is occupied, with no compulsion to come to a specific place and no need to take care in the rainy season. He can choose how he wants to work and the price at which he wants to sell his services, and there is a sense of freedom and strength. The type of clients and individuals you wish to work with is entirely up to you. You are free to decide not to deal with aggressively challenging clients.
9. Brilliant careers of developers
In the twenty-first century, in a digital world, the definition of success is a lot different. Being a freelance developer, part-time or full time is prestigious work today. A person with good knowledge of programming language, which is a must, and knowing as many languages as possible, as it makes your profile better and gives you a chance of landing innovative projects brighter.
In today’s world, the number of people who have online businesses has increased, and some people like to make portfolio websites. As a result, a significant demand for web developers also increased. Job satisfaction with what one loves doing has become a primary need.
10. Loving what you do
Freelancing is nowhere relatable to a job. In this form of business, you will not feel monotonous and bored because you are doing what you love. If you like computer programming, do that kind of work, and if you want writing, do that kind of work. In this way, working hard on one’s skills, interests and passions will help a lot and gives self-satisfaction and fulfilment. You will start enjoying the work you do.
11. Earnings control
Freelancing is a good form of business where a person can earn money. There is no need to request a raise from your boss if you are a freelancer. You choose the price. You get to decide how much work you accept as well. Rates and workload, however, are somewhat influenced by market factors. Asking for outrageous pay will inevitably result in a smaller pool of potential customers.
However, many freelancers discover that they can gradually increase their charges as they accomplish more work and have a solid reputation.
An example of real-life freelance success stories
At first, freelancing could seem intimidating, but as you learn how to navigate the field, you will run into several freelance success stories that will help you rebuild your confidence in the area and yourself. Here is one for you:
This story is about a guy named Simon, who worked as an IT developer for a Canadian telecoms business in Russia. His work appeared to be good, but there were instances when he felt trapped. Thus, he frequently daydreamed of being accessible and moving abroad to live.
Like any other human being with dreams of his own, Simon fantasized about having the freedom to travel anywhere he wanted and enjoying the freedom to go to sleep and wake up whenever he desired while still giving his all to his work. But he knew that was a dream and hardly possible if he was working a 9 to 5-job.
But, one morning, Simon got up, packed his stuff, and left in search of freedom. When he arrived in Singapore, it was challenging to locate IT employment. He made several unsuccessful attempts before settling on freelancing. It took some time, but he eventually found that freelancing was rewarding. Simon received clients from all over the world with far better chances, so he wasn’t only limited to local customers, unlike his job.
Over time, Simon started building a profile right away, and in a short period, he had good ratings in Russia. He can now live wherever he chooses and earn money from freelancing. His work is unaffected if he is in one nation today and another tomorrow.
What do you think made me achieve his dream lifestyle? Do you think he would be able to find fulfilling employment that could let him live with freedom and also pay his bills? Freelancing helped Simon achieve this freedom of working on his terms and with dynamism. It provided him with a way to balance his professional and private life more quickly than his corporate job.
How to start freelancing?
The benefits of freelancing as a career choice that you read about serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for you to continue working toward your goals. Here are some excellent pointers for getting started as a freelancer to support you on your way.
Know your market or target demographic:
Consider your target market or audience and the specific demands you will be meeting before you begin working as a freelancer. You could initially have certain expectations for the gig economy, but we advise that you start out being flexible. As you gain confidence, you may simplify your job.
Be specific with your price:
Try to establish a price and cost structure before entering the market. Would you instead be paid by the project or by the hour? Make sure you’re on par with your rivals by conducting research.
Get in line:
Freelancing is a significant commitment, so be sure to take all the necessary actions from the outset to feel at ease in this new setting.
Create a website:
Create a website for yourself that serves as a stop for all of your clients to look at your work and any samples you have supplied to get good projects and gigs. To help potential clients get to know you, showcase your greatest work on this website, along with an introduction to who you are and what you do.
Get off to a strong start:
Every freelancing success story begins with a professional, engaging social media profile. It might be one of the very first things your clients glance at.
Start your freelance career effectively.
Even though we have mainly discussed the positives of freelancing, it goes without saying that there are also some apparent drawbacks, such as dry work times, filing your taxes, and the absence of corporate perks and insurance. However, the best part of freelancing is that you are not dependent on others for promotions and pay raises. You are not required to participate in office politics to get raises on schedule.
Your work speaks for you when you are a freelancer. The pay for your position no longer controls you. You can improve your skills in your spare time and ask for more salary. Your career is entirely under your control. The above reasons would be convincing enough for you to ponder your lifestyle. Therefore, deciding on a better career option is never too late.