What is Freelancing and How to Become a Freelancer?

Some of the many benefits of working as a freelancer include getting to choose the kind of work you do, who you work with, how much time you spend on a project, and whether you work remotely or not. Your questions on what freelancing is, the range of careers available to freelancers, and other topics will be addressed in this post.

Let’s first review our understanding of what freelancing is before moving on to the topic of How to Become a Freelancer.

Topics covered

• What is Freelancing?
• What is the Future of Freelancing?
• Why is Freelancing gaining popularity?
• Types of Freelance jobs
• What is an online Freelancing platform? 
• How to become a Freelancer?
• Summing up

What is Freelancing?

Being self-employed and providing services on a project are two characteristics of freelancing. It primarily entails working under a contract that does not need reporting to an office every day at a set hour. Understanding that freelancing is not a job opportunity is essential to answering the question of what it is since it has evolved into a legitimate career path.

Instead of adhering to the conventional 9 am to 5 pm working hour structure, a freelancer employs his or her talents and knowledge to offer services to clients. Freelancing is a contract-based job. The clients could be anyone, from a business to a person.

The traditional 9 to 5 workday has changed as a result of technological advancements that have affected how we all work. This has opened the door for more practical work-life balance options, like working independently, as a freelancer, or as a gig worker.

What is the Gig Economy?

The gig economy is centred on freelance employment, temporary and flexible labour arrangements, and any other type of business that engages in the hiring of gig workers or freelancers on a contractual basis for brief assignments.

The Gig culture includes independent contractors and freelancers who can perform the same tasks as a full-time employee but more affordably and flexibly, setting it separate from the traditional and fixed working culture. The future of India’s start-ups and the gig economy, according to BW Businessworld, depends on digital breakthroughs and a better developed digital ecosystem.

What is the Future of Freelancing?

You might wonder what all of this has to do with the future of independent contractors.

Well, given the speed at which freelance jobs have grown in India to a sizeable level, the gig economy will likely become a larger part of the country’s workforce in the years to come. According to a report by KellyOCG titled “Workforce Agility Barometer,” more than 20% of the overall employee pool was made up of temporary employees or freelancers in around 56% of the Indian organisations examined.

Why is Freelancing gaining popularity?

Now that you are aware of what freelancing entails, let’s look at some of the most crucial questions:

Why is there a change in global working culture toward independence? What makes the gig economy so significant?

Let’s first answer the crucial questions above before concentrating on how to become a freelancer and what a freelance job entails:

• According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, millions of automatable occupations will vanish over the next few years.
• Numerous job tasks, such as designing, hand drafting, editing, and bookkeeping, will be eliminated. These jobs will soon be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence, and other jobs will be established in their place for more efficient use of resources
• Did you know that all of the anticipated changes brought on by technology have already given rise to new professions such as web developers, app developers, social media marketers, search engine optimization consultants, user experience designers, Airbnb hosts, Instagram influencers, and YouTube celebrities?
• According to MGI research, between 8 and 9% of today’s jobs could become extinct by the year 2030. After the US, China, Brazil, and Japan, India has also become the fifth-largest country for flex-staffing. Overall, this is encouraging potential freelancers to aim high and anticipate having more opportunities in the years to come.
• What may freelancers, independent contractors, and gig workers therefore anticipate in the near future? The future of freelancing is just beginning to take shape when you consider market trends, outsourcing demands, and businesses hiring freelancers for brief projects or contracts.
• Beginning with the benefits offered by freelance employment, one reason it is appealing to millennials is that it gives them additional options for striking a work-life balance.
• People are looking for things they value, such as flexible work hours, the ability to work from home, and the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, as the lines between their personal and professional life are becoming increasingly hazy.

Types of Freelance jobs

Although the definitions of freelancing and temporary employment have been explored in-depth above, that does not mean that you have covered everything there is to know about freelancing. To be able to meet the needs and wants of the market, you would need to choose a talent or hone your present skill set and be exceptionally good at it.

There are numerous industry possibilities to consider when thinking about developing your freelance job. To begin freelancing, you should choose a niche, but you also need to have certain industry-specific talents in that profession. By doing so, you would establish your reputation and improve your prospects of success at work.

The following are some of the top sectors and fields for freelance opportunities:

• Technology, Accounting, and Finance
• Talent acquisition & HR
• writing, editing, and proofreading
• Web design and development

What is an online Freelancing platform? 

The days of networking and connection-making as a means of seeking employment and locating clients are long gone. As technology has developed, a myriad of online platforms have been developed for connecting and exchanging information about the demands and work requirements between contractors and freelancers.

These internet resources make it easier for freelancers and employers searching for temporary labour to connect and find jobs and employment possibilities. Many of these online platforms offer a wide range of services to assist freelancers in finding work and developing a source of income.

Online channels for freelance work include the following:

• Guru
• Fiverr
• 99 Designs
• Freelancer
• True lancer
• Toptal
• Catalant
• TaskRabbit
• FlexingIt

What is working for yourself if not the flexibility to decide where, what, and how you work? These websites provide a centralised location for freelancers to register and build their online portfolios in order to attract potential clients. These platforms aid freelancers in connecting and making money, whether they work remotely or not, even if some may charge a fee for using their services.

Now that you have a good understanding of what freelancing, the freelance industry, and everything related to the gig economy are all about, let’s look at how to become a freelancer. The following advice can help you before you enter the freelance market.

How to become a Freelancer?

Freelancing mostly entails working under your terms and circumstances, receiving payment for high-quality services, and developing relationships with clients. It is not a novel phenomenon that has engulfed the entire world, nor is it rocket science. It is a method of working and a lifestyle that you adopt while also improving your talents to set yourself apart from the competition.

The following are the most important considerations for being a really good and successful freelancer:

Freelance work can be daunting for some people, just like full-time employment is not for everyone. Every job comes with some level of work pressure and deadline submissions, but if you are not skilled at time management and meeting deadlines, your work-life balance will suffer.

Summing up

There are many things to consider before choosing freelancing as a full-time career option, even though India is ready to join the gig economy and offer fantastic job prospects for freelancers. Talk to career specialists who can help you make the final decision if you are unsure of what freelancing is or whether pursuing a full-time career in it in the early years of your career is a good option.