How to become a successful freelancer
Freelancing is not just sitting home and earning some extra income, it is in fact a proven career option. Anybody who is capable of working in an IT company should be able to earn as much or even more through freelancing. Besides being a viable employment option for the unemployed, it gives students and non-IT employees an addional revenue source. As the adage goes - there is no free lunch - you have to put in some effort to get into this field. However it is not very difficult and if one spends some dedicated effort he/she can start off in this field in a matter of 2-4 weeks. The following gives a mashup of some of the points you have to consider...
Who can be a successful freelancer
- Literally anybody can become a successful freelancer
- There are no preconditions and no essential qualifications
- There will be a field that matches your interest and capability
- You dont have to have any technology know-how to start with
Essential Attributes for a Freelancer
- Willingness to work :)
- Confidence in one's own abilities
- Desire to grow
Skills you will learn along the way
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to self-learn
- Targeted browsing skills and Good internet-search skills
- Good communication skills
- (Obviously) Good technical skills
Areas where freelancing opportunities are avaialable
- Web Application Development
- Desktop application Development
- Graphics Designing - logos, themes, icons
- Website Designing - layout, templates
- CAD conversions
- Slideshow Presentations
- Technical writing
- Professional Blogging
- Data Entry
- Software Documentation
- Content editing, manuscript reviewing
Before you start off
- Identify two or three areas where you would like to try a hand
- Learn essential technologies and tools required to work in the selected areas
- Identify people whom you could fall back for technological assistance
Starting off
- Bite only what you can chew. Try out a few small projects initially
- Communicate with the community your problems and get help when needed
- Build expertise in the technologies and tools in the selected area
- Contribute to the community to build your profile within the community
Succeeding as a freelancer
- Anybody putting in some effort should be able to manage a decent career as a freelancer
- To succeed exceptionally well you will have to work exceptionally well
- You will have to gain top-class-expertise in the area you select
- You should have a very good profile within the community and should be contributing well for the community.
Good luck with freelancing
