What is Freelancing?
You've heard it or read it somewhere before. From papers to webpages, even to social media, it has been all over the place. It is a work-at-home career where you render services online to clients, domestic or abroad. A person who works in freelancing is a freelancer. You might have encountered someone before who mentioned that he or she works as an Upwork Freelancer. It is the dream career to most of people in the world because of the many benefits it holds like; home office work without suffering from heavy traffic and long-hour commuting, work anytime or anywhere in the world, and a huge compensation that exceeds the minimum wage in your country.
Sounds good, right? So, where do you start? What do you need to start?
Equipping the Right Tool: Trade Skills
First thing to do is to prepare. What you will need before you set sail to the freelance world is a trade skill to market in the industry. It is what service can you offer online. Your skills will be your primary tool in surviving the freelance market. You'll get offers depending on how good you are. Of course, such skill is something that can be done and delivered to your client through the internet. You can't market your carpentry and plumbing skills online. If you don't have any skills that you can market online, you can check out a lot of eLearning websites like Pluralsight to learn online skills. They teach a wide variety of skills that you can offer in the freelancer market. Plus, they give out certificate per eLearning course finished. These certificates will play a big role on your endeavor as a freelancer.
Another eLearning websites I recommend is Udemy. Udemy also offers a lot of eLearning courses that can be use in the freelance market. Their prices per course are a lower compared to Pluralsight and sometimes they give out huge amount of discounts. Udemy is definitely a must-visit for current and would-be freelancers.
Another eLearning websites you could go to is W3schools. The great thing about W3schools is that the eLearning course they offer are free. You can learn Web Development skills in W3schools with no charge but their certification is a bit costly. Exam fee for certification cost 100 US dollars and failing twice on the same exam means you have to pay again the fee. But if you are just after learning or refreshing you Web development skills, you can always study it for free at W3schools.
Compete in the Freelance Market: Project and Job Hunt
Now that you have learned a skill to market, where do we go next? Next thing we do is find a freelancer's website. It's a website where we market our skill. There's a lot of freelancer's website throughout the internet but the most popular one in Upwork. This is where most freelance job opportunities are posted. In order to be one of the freelancers in Upwork, you have to create a profile account there. Highlight your credentials and mastery so that you can pass the initial screening. If you passed, you can now start applying for job opportunities that matches your skills.
Of course, there are other websites where we can market our skill aside from Upwork. You can go to websites like Toptal, Freelancer, Guru, and PeoplePerHour. The more freelance market websites you join, the more chance of winning a contract.
The Right Mindset of a Freelancer: Attitude Set-up
Now that you are skill-ready and have multiple accounts on freelance market websites, all you have to do is keep sending proposals or application letters to every job post that you see fit to your skills. This is how you're going to survive in the freelance industry. You have to win contracts or get hired from one job to another so that you can sustain your career. Having a staple career in the freelance industry takes a lot of time, that's why patience is a must. Sometimes it takes weeks or months to earn your first client or project. To keep yourself occupied, you could apply for other jobs or you can join freelance community websites. You can ask for advices from other freelancers in the Philippines.
There will be hardships along the way, just like it is in office-bound works but always remember to adapt to the situation and develop oneself to be a better freelance worker.
