Why are so many people doing freelance work nowadays? Turns out, it’s easier to make a living as a freelancer today than ever before. However, switching from your nine-to-five doesn’t only mean a more flexible schedule and more targeted work. A job as a freelancer entails a lot more than one might expect.
What’s the Catch?
The life-blood of a small business often relies on word-of-mouth. Probably unlike your previous full-time job, being your own boss and essentially being the spokesperson for your own small business means that you need to take on a much wider variety of tasks in order to succeed.
A journalism consultant is not just talking about journalism, she is advertising and marketing her expertise in a public manner on the internet, analyzing what strategies have and have not worked in securing clients and strategic partners, and working through the numbers to see how many hours of work is necessary and feasible to keep the small business afloat. Therefore, even though it may not officially be part of your job description, the reality of a modern freelancer necessitates you know the tech and business skills to keep up in a 2015 context.
Many people need an extra push to do this, such as taking a class. Tons of successful freelancers and new entrepreneurs had very little knowledge as recently as a year ago about subjects they now consider an expertise or subjects essential to know for building a personal brand. In addition to improving your business model, this will also show your client base that you are constantly seeking to improve your work.
Build Your Skills Online
Educating yourself can be a powerful solution for small business entrepreneurs, freelancers, or consultants who do not have large marketing or technology-outsource budgets, but want to take their public image and website into their own hands.
There are many online resources available to assist you. Many people create personal or professional websites on WordPress, a great free resource from which you can build a site choosing from a variety of pre-made templates. However, if you want to stand out by breaking free from these templates, you will have to learn how to build websites yourself.
There are free courses on these topics, but they are often challenging to keep up with for busy professionals, as the topics can be very complicated and challenging. While this is a great way of learning for many, alternatives to this model of online learning exist where you can continue to hone your freelance skills while at the same time building new tech skills.
According to the computer programming school General Assembly, 15% of enrolled students in their online Web Design courses are already freelancers looking to increase their consulting rate, and many more are taking the course with the end-goal of becoming a freelance consultant in mind. Adding even basic digital skills to a resume can allow you to charge more money, increase your consumer reach, and improve your desirability as a hire.
If you are just starting out, picking up some of these extra skills are a great way to make the transition from nine-to-five worker to full-time freelancer.
Jocelyn Caster is an Online Marketer at General Assembly
