The current global economic turmoil, coupled with an ever-increasing strain on a limited job market, has compelled individuals to look for unconventional sources of making money. The freelance industry, which was mainly occupied by artists and designers until the turn of the century, now includes people from all kinds of educational backgrounds. The amazing outreach of social media has also allowed the younger generation to transform these platforms into money-making avenues. Whether you are a college student looking for some part-time job opportunities or a retiree in search of easy lines of work, there’s something for everyone in the freelance market.
Are freelance jobs stable?
One of the most commonly asked questions about freelance jobs is whether or not the flow of income will be secure all the time. While a certain avenue of freelance work may stop yielding results after some time, the same can be said of any corporate. However, the beauty of the freelance market is that there is no rigidity in designation and the type of work you are to do. You can easily switch from one kind of work to a more favorable one. The enormity of the market can best be expressed by the fact that 34% of the labor market is predicted to switch to freelance by 2020.
Here are a few such freelance opportunities that you can tap into:
Online tutorials: an assured way to earn
This is the era of self-taught MUAs and home-cooks turned Gordon Ramsey. Skill sets that were previously limited to a handful of people can now be passed on to anybody willing to learn. Online tutorials are an excellent way to make money as well as come into the limelight. You can either set up a channel or website that offers paid subscriptions, or start with free-for-all videos and then once you have generated enough public interest, make its viewership limited. You will, however, need to be a well-known name in that line of work or wait for your big break.
Become a YouTuber
It isn’t that hard to become a celebrity in 2018. Yet again, thanks to the advent of social media platforms like YouTube, anything that catches the public eye, no matter how outlandish it might seem, can catapult you into overnight stardom. You will need to begin by setting up a channel on YouTube and find your own niche category of videos that might attract your target audience. The trick is to focus on the subscriber count, which can only be enhanced the right way by being regular with your uploads and by producing quality content time and again.
Pet care is a growing market
To pet-owners, their little furry babies are no less than actual human babies. This means that they are willing to splurge to ensure that their pets are being taken care of and pampered in their absence. Pet babysitters are becoming quite sought-after and due to their shortage, they are being offered some hefty amounts. The pet-care professional will need to be comfortable and adept at taking care of all kinds of animal. More importantly, they should know how to resolve a crisis as quickly and as safely as possible. Usually, college students are the ones who volunteer for the role.
Freelance reporting can provide valuable experience
Reports of big media outlets being compromised to push a certain political agenda have led ethical journalists to form their own collectives and news agencies. These outlets are constantly on the lookout for freelance reporters, who are willing to work out of a contract. If you have a good command over the language or are qualified to be a photographer or videographer, this is the best avenue for you to freelance in. The money offered might not be too impressive at first, but they serve as excellent substitutes for conventional internships or work experience.
Become the campus ambassador for a brand
Brands that have products meant for the young adult demographic often look for students to become their ambassador or representative in their respective campus. These students are meant to promote the brand and its products amongst their peers and keep a lookout for opportunities where the brand can sponsor or set up events in the campus. In case such an event is set up, it is the duty of the campus representative to manage and coordinate the event with the help of company personnel and resources. The workload for the role is not too taxing, and the income is adequate.
Participate in paid surveys
Survey websites are constantly looking for new participants with fresh perspectives to take their surveys. Whether you are hired as a participant or a trained surveyor, depends on your qualifications and experience. The surveys span a diverse range of topics, and you will only be offered those that fall within your areas of knowledge. The more surveys you take, the easier does the website feed picks up on your topics of interest and, thus, curates the results to match those. Frequent participation also helps unlock surveys that are reserved for regulars and these are the ones with the best pay. There are many online sites as well where you can sign up and start earning from day one.
Write and sell books on Amazon
Have an idea for a guaranteed bestseller that you would like to make a profit off? You no longer need to cater to the whims and fancies of publishers, because Amazon allows you to sell books. Of course, the organization will get a commissioned percentage from the profits of every copy of the book you sell but the rest is yours. This allows aspiring writers to break free from the dependency on publishers and sell their books independently. All you need to do is strategically market and advertise the book so that you can sell the maximum number of copies.
Becoming a recruiter is easy and pays well
A recruiter or a headhunter is the person who shortlists candidates and prospective employees for a client, based on their connections and experience in the industry. Despite virtual job-listing platforms having grown abundantly in the past decade, employers still prefer to hire their employees after a certain level of assurance, because the online pool is too large to weed out unsuitable fits. This is the perfect freelancing avenue for retirees because of their years of experience working in a specific field that gives them an eye for individuals who have the potential to be good employees.
Data entry jobs are usually work-from-home
MNCs and corporate usually have a lot of paperwork to take care of on a daily basis. Since this work doesn’t exactly fit into their job description, it is mostly delegated to interns or work-from-home freelancers. The pay is moderate and the job is pretty self-descriptive and very easy. Moreover, there are no daily targets or performance bonuses to factor in, unlike marketing jobs, so you can do the job at your own pace. The work for data entry job basically involves archiving daily figures and official data, and in some cases, digitizing them and keeping them updated.
Even consultants can freelance
Engineers, CAs, lawyers- these are all people who are indispensable to the working of any corporation, which is why they are usually always in such high demand. If you are qualified and have the relevant experience to become a consultant, you can always do so as a side gig, besides your regular job. Most employee contracts usually do not prohibit them from working a second job, so it should not be a legal problem. Even retirees can opt for such a job. The pay is extremely high and the workload depends on the project for which you are being consulted.
Concluding Remarks
All forecasts for the future of the freelance industry are favorable, due to an aversion amongst millennials to work 9-5 jobs and technological backing of freelance-based opportunities. No matter your area of expertise, an investment in this domain will definitely be fruitful.