Thinking About Freelancing?

by The Editorial Team on September 19, 2014

The choice of assignments is yours, and your time is your own.

In today’s wired, virtual world, many people may be asking themselves why they need to go to the office each day. Flex-place, flextime, and telecommuting have certainly allowed for more – well – flexibility when it comes to how we approach our jobs. And for some, there is the inevitable question: why be tied to a job at all?

If you yearn for independence, are self-motivated, and like to set your own goals and be your own boss, then freelancing may be the “job” for you.

Are you a traveler?

According to International Living, a magazine that caters to people who want to live overseas, a Freelancer can earn anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on the type of work and the amount of time one chooses to work.

The great thing about Freelancing is – you can take your job with you.

You can establish yourself as an expert in an area (web-design, writing, editing, translation) and work anytime, anyplace.

Working with an established company (like Freelancer.com, for example) allows you to chose your project, set your price, and get paid in the privacy of your backyard, your yurt, or the on top of a mountain (as long as there is an internet connection).

If you do choose to leave home, however, being a Freelancer can be very lucrative. Let’s say you are asked to photograph an event in Washington DC. Or Paris. You may even get a free airline ticket to the event. Or perhaps you are already there. You take the picture of the world’s largest chocolate éclair, or the bust of the President made from paper clips, write an article, and get paid.

If you retain the rights to your intellectual property, you can re-sell your article AND your photos. So, if you write your éclair article for one magazine, for, let’s say $500, you re-sell the same article and photos to a travel magazine, the local confectioner’s magazine, yachting magazine (“What to eat when you get to Paris”) and your hometown newspaper for the same price. Your photos can be sold to local tourist organizations, in-flight magazines, postcard companies and online.

Just one assignment can be translated into $2500 or more. AND you got to go to Paris. Or Washington DC.

Even if you are not a world traveler, Freelancing might be the perfect job for you. A stay-at-home parent can easily write articles, design a website, edit photos or proofread letters while the kids are down for a nap.

You can establish a long-term relationship with a company, say a weekly article about the joys of fishing in Alaska, or you can find a one time, high-paying job:

“Urgent! Please edit-out my ex-girlfriend from my wedding picture”.

Business, managers, supervisors, workers and just everyday people need to have things written, edited, reviewed, uploaded, downloaded, typed and photographed. As a Freelancer, you can do any and all of these jobs without leaving the confines of your comfy cottage or sailboat.

“A person who delivers the good and builds a good reputation for themselves can make a very lucrative living freelancing”.

Using online websites that bring the “Project Poster” and you together is a great way to establish a reputation and get your name out.

With a few good reviews, businesses and opportunities will be coming to you. If you deliver what is asked, in a timely manner, and are dependable, you can write your own ticket (the double play on words – puns intended).

One of the great things about becoming a Freelancer is that it does not have to be a full-time job. Suppose you have a great job, with good benefits, and you like what you do. But you also love designing business cards for people. You can find a freelance job doing that.

Or perhaps you would just like some extra spending money, and you have an aptitude for designing web pages. You can do that in your spare time as well. Maybe you are a Photoshop genius, and spend all your free time editing photos.

Why not use that creativity to make some money and establish connections that might turn into a new career? Freelancing is a great outlet for one’s creativity – one of the few jobs where a person can get paid for using their natural talents and abilities.