It’s not easy taking the first step into the world of freelancing. I had to, and I’m glad I did. You might be tempted to say it was luck, but James and I will be the first to tell you, luck had nothing to do with it. All of it was hard work and a lot of time and effort between us to figure out how to do things in the best way possible.
I had attempted freelance work when I finished college. Computer graphics were still very new, and the Internet wasn’t something anyone knew. In the 80s, freelancing meant scouring the classifieds, beating the pavement and hauling your portfolio around. If you didn’t have something that stood out from the rest, nobody wanted to hire you.
The graphics field was flooded, and the professional illustrator jobs I wanted were very hard to come by. Before I knew it, my credit cards were at their limits, I had no money, and the dream of freelancing dried up.
Years later, I had a day job that ate up most of my time. It was the usual nine-to-five (or in my case, 7.30 to 4.30) office job working to make money for someone else. While it wasn’t that bad of a place to work, the job was tedious, and I really wanted to strike out on my own. The problem was, I was afraid to let go of a steady paycheck – so I didn’t. I was pretty scared to jump back into freelancing this time.
James had just gone through a rough patch of his own, and freelance writing was the perfect answer. He was the one who got the business rolling, and for that, I’m grateful.
After a year or so, my job took a turn. New management came in, the whole office changed, and I found myself out of a job. Shoved into the world of the freelancer, I suddenly went from a world of predictable salaries and paychecks to a world where there are no guarantees.
Working as a freelancer really isn’t so bad. Sure, you have to make some adjustments. When the work is good, it’s very good, and when work slows down, you have to make sure you’ve saved money for the dry spells. You also have to hustle to find work for yourself. No one is going to hand you work on a silver platter. You have to remain diligent and consistent, and learn to manage both your money and your time. You have to know how much workload you can handle and not bite off more than you can chew. If you work from home, you have to learn how to deal with distractions.
Start-up for freelancing on the Internet doesn’t take much. If you have a computer and a few basic programs, you can do a lot. The internet can help you to cover more ground than the classifieds in the newspapers ever could. You’re not limited to local jobs, and you have access to the whole world. As you begin to earn money, you can add better equipment and better programs.
The most important aspect is to begin to build your reputation. Take on a few small jobs and get some good reviews. High performance ratings on the freelance sites will go a long way to securing better jobs. You can’t expect to jump right to the top – sometimes, it’s better to work your way up.
Tonight I had a friend of mine over for dinner. We used to work together at the office I mentioned. She’s getting the feeling that the job environment might be changing again. It felt good to be able to give her some advice for starting work as a freelancer. I told her if she’s getting that uneasy feeling, her days may be numbered and she should start freelancing now in her spare time if she can.
Easing into the world of freelancing is easier than suddenly discovering freelancing may be the only option. By slowly starting yourself into freelancing, you’ll avoid a difficult transition and prepare yourself. Remember that anyone can freelance, too. It takes a little effort and some work, but anything worth working hard for is worth having.
