Thanks to the Internet, college students can now work as freelancers online. All they really need is a skill that they have developed and they want to continue enhancing still, and an account at one of the many freelancing websites that proliferate online.
There are a variety of jobs available. They can work as an academic writer, and provide service to people who are looking to buy thesis papers online. They can work as graphic designers or video editors. The possibilities are exponentially numerous!
I myself have seen success as a freelancer while I was a student in college. I thought I might share these four facts about freelancing as a college student to help out others that are looking to tread through the same path.
Fact #1: Priorities, Priorities!
Indeed, the university is perhaps the first time that people realize the need for time management in their lives. Priority is, of course, the determining criteria as to which task gets attention first among the others.
One way to effectively manage your time and set priorities are to look ahead at your schedule and see what school activities are up, as The Guardian suggests. This will help you determine just how much free time you have on your hands, and you can then decide how much work you want to do for your freelancing gig.
Fact #2: Invest in Yourself
The freelancing landscape is getting fiercely competitive that was observed in the good job essay. According to Tech Crunch, there has been a growth of more than 700,000 new freelancers in the market in a single year, from 2014 to 2015!
In addition to that, Tech Crunch predicts that in 2020 (two years from now!), 50% of the jobs available to people will be freelancing or contracted work. You yourself have seen the technological achievements that have made remote employment more of a reality nowadays than in the previous decade.
This means that you should brace yourself for a lot of competition in the coming years. As early as now, you must invest in yourself and develop the skills that you want to gain experience with as a freelancer. Read free articles, subscribe to magazines like Tech Crunch and others, and attend webinars or web-based seminars whenever you can.
In addition, you will have to be aggressive and a little bit shameless in promoting yourself in various websites as well as social media. You’ll never know when and where you’ll be able to close a deal.
Fact #3: You’re Acquiring Real Work Experience
Most people think of freelancing as just some sort of project. In fact, people who are non-freelancers sometimes don’t take freelancers seriously. Maybe it’s because of the flexible schedule, the seemingly free lifestyle that we live.
However, freelancing is a REAL job experience. I totally agree with SEO expert website Search Influence when it said that college students who pursue a freelancing career have more work experience than their fellow graduates. This can help out a lot when you’re looking for your first job, as you already have a solid idea of work ethics and client expectations.
You can even take it further when you graduate, Search Influence says, by expanding on your existing gigs. Be your own boss for the rest of your life!
Fact #4: Know When to Take a Rest
The allure of earning money is strong, and you might find yourself sacrificing rest time to earn extra. Please, please, PLEASE, don’t abuse yourself that way. Always find time to get enough rest and even some recreation so you don’t burn your brain cells off – you still have, after all, school work to do.
In my own experience, time management became a real challenge when I was writing my college dissertation thesis. The topic I picked was quite challenging, and I had to spend a lot of time researching so I had to take out a little time from my normal freelancing routine so I can have some time to rest.
Freelancing is a very lucrative source of income both for college students and experienced professionals alike. All you need to do is just maintain a sense of priority and time management, especially for you college students who are juggling several subject assignments at once in addition to your freelancing routine.
Good luck, and here’s to your success in both your college studies and your freelancing.