Think about the title of this blog post for a second and let it sink in – Freelancing is a career choice. It something you couldn’t say even 5 years ago. As I have said in the past, I became a freelancer out of necessity.
Today, you have the opportunity to choose freelancing as a career by choice, and it’s a great option to consider when planning your future. Whether you are just graduating from school or are looking to change things up, or even spinning your wheels in a dead end job, you can become a freelancer.
The beauty of freelancing is that there is no one perfect way to get started. You don’t have to follow the typical career flow – go to school, get a degree, take on student debt, start at the bottom and work your way up the corporate ladder.
Who likes to climb ladders, anyway?
Start your career where you want to. You can start out part time, try it out on the side while keeping your current job, or whatever manner makes the most sense for you. All you need is a skill that people are willing to pay you to do (writing, design, marketing, etc.).
Worried about your level of experience?
This is actually something people ask me about a lot. They want to know if I go on a lot of “job interviews” to get gigs. I have client meetings, and occasionally some clients request a resume, but most are just interested in how I can help their company.
When people hire freelancers, they don’t care about what your resume says as much as they care about what you can deliver. They want to see work samples, testimonials, and proof of how you can help them. And, if you connect online, they want to make sure you are who you say you are – so a phone call or in person meeting may be in order.
Why Freelancing Has Become a Viable Career Choice
The freelance movement, if that’s what you want to call it, has been in motion for a while. I believe it has roots in the economic downturn in the early 2000s. A down economy meant that more people were out of jobs, and companies needed a new – and more cost effective – way to do business.
Taking on a more decentralized way of doing business, companies hired out of work professionals on a freelance or contract basis. These freelance professionals began to work for multiple companies.
Companies realized that using freelancers provided them with more flexibility. Freelancers realized that they could make a career out of freelancing, have more say over whom they work with, and have a more meaningful career.
The Internet has also helped make things extremely convenient for both companies and freelancers. Geography is no longer an issue. Freelancers and companies can connect no matter where they are located.
Freelancing is a REAL career choice, and it is definitely an option you should consider if you are having trouble figuring out to do with your career.
