According to a survey carried out by the famous freelancing website Upwork, nearly one in every three Americans have worked online at one point or another during their careers. As most of you would have guessed, this trend is only going upward with more and more people joining the online workforce. In 2020 alone, freelancers contributed more than $1 trillion to the US economy, a record high with a 22% increase from the last year.
One of the reasons why the freelancing community is growing so fast all over the world is because more people, especially younger ones, are looking for flexible alternatives to traditional jobs. For some, these online jobs serve as a way of earning some extra pocket money, for others, it’s how they pay their bills, and surprisingly enough, some even do it as a hobby.
Unfortunately, not everyone who works an online job is successful. A lot of people step into this virtual job community without knowing exactly what to do. This leads to failed expectations, a stressful routine, unhappy “bosses”, and poor pay. So, if you are looking to join the online workforce and start working online, here are some things that you need to know.
1. Working online may affect you offline
This is something that a lot of us overlook when we talk about working online. We are all guilty of imagining that freelance is something that gives us complete freedom over what we do and how we do it. Most of us picture it as a lifestyle where we can live life on our terms without having to sit in cubicles or going to a 9 to 5 job. While it is true that freelancing gives us freedom to a certain extent, it is not the entire truth, and saying so would only be sugarcoating reality.
What most of us tend to ignore, and what a lot of people hate to admit, is the fact that freelancing affects our social lives. You might find yourself working unusual hours to meet a deadline. You will find yourself in situations where you have to explain to your friends why you can’t meet them because you have a video to edit, or maybe an article to write. Sometimes you might not be able to join your family for dinners or go on a certain holiday with them because you have a lot of projects in the pipeline. The point is, that having an online job is not all roses. It is going to affect your social life in one way or another, and that is something you need to know before you get an online job.
2. It is not a fast track
Let’s get this out of the way. A lot of us think that freelancing is easy and quick money. It’s not. And it’s not entirely our fault for thinking that way. It’s been portrayed that way for far too long. The truth is freelancing is just like any other career path. It takes time and experience. If you are expecting that money will start showering as soon as you register on a freelance website, you’re signing up for disappointment. Like any other career, freelancing requires both hard and soft skills.
You may have the best technical skills for a job, but what you need to understand is that freelancing is more than just that. In the US alone, there are more than 57 million freelancers. Why should someone hire you? Putting yourself out there, and presenting yourself in a way that gets you the job takes time, networking, and skills. Be patient, stay consistent, and polish your skills, but most importantly, don’t expect freelancing to be a shortcut.
3. Know how much to charge
Whether you are doing it as a part-time job or as an alternative to a traditional job, at the end of the day, the goal of any freelancer is to earn money. This is why you need to decide how much money to charge for your services. Once you start getting projects, set up a target of how much you want to earn and charge accordingly, but be realistic. One of the major reasons why a lot of freelancers fail is because their rates are simply unrealistic. The general rule of thumb is to stick with what the market rate is. If you’re a beginner, there is no harm in charging a little less. As you build your portfolio and start getting clients, you can increase your charges.
4. Be realistic
This is the most important thing you need to know before you start working online. Be realistic. Understand that working online is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is not a shortcut to making money fast. It is like any other job and requires discipline, patience, skills, and time. Stay consistent and don’t lose hope if you fail to get any projects in the first few months. It is not easy being your boss, so make sure you set some boundaries and ground rules before you start.
