A freelancer is a contract worker who is employed for short terms jobs that can last anywhere between a few hours to months.
Freelancers tend to get most of their jobs online from freelancing websites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.
In previous articles, we have explored different types of online opportunities one could explore as a freelancer, such as online writing, academic writing, and others.Â
However, in today’s article, we look at a few advantages of becoming a Freelancer.
Freelancers Determine their schedule
Freelancers can decide their work hours because they are in charge of their work schedule. This is because they do not have a boss, they are independent contractors. Once they get an order, it is up to them to ensure the order is delivered on time and to communicate with their client to ensure that the client is satisfied with the progress.
Due to this level of freedom, being a freelancer requires a high level of discipline to be successful and to produce quality work, and get great reviews that can land more clients. Time management is a skill every freelancer MUST have.
Freelancers Determine Their Income
Since a freelancer is an independent contract worker, they choose their rates according to their level of skills and the services they offer.
It is important to know that different skills are valued differently. Some skills are seen as more valuable than others. For example, web design is more valuable and will cost more than data entry.
It is also important to know that as a freelancer the more experience the more money one can charge for one work. This works well if a freelancer has amazing reviews. Remember the only way to get reviews is doing an excellent job every time and giving your client great service.
Flexible location
Freelancers do not report to an office. They can work from anywhere in the world. A freelancer could be in Africa and get jobs from the US and Canada and still be able to deliver results.
The tasks that a freelancer carries out do not need them to report to an office to perform. This gives them high flexibility when it comes to location. All a freelancer needs is their laptop and a good internet connection and they can work. These days some freelancers just work from their phones and get the job done.
Opportunity to grow skills
As a freelancer one gets the opportunity to grow their skills because they get to use them more. This also forces them to keep tabs on all changes and growth in their industry. They have to know which skills are in demand and where they need to improve and update their skills. As a result, most freelancers tend to be very adept and become experts in their fields faster than some of their counterparts who are employed.
Can choose their Colleagues
Being a freelancer means that you are in charge of your work environment. This includes who you choose to work with. Some projects that freelancers get may be very large and they may need to collaborate with other freelancers. Therefore, this allows them to work with other talented freelancers of their choosing. It also creates an opportunity for them to learn from each other. It should be noted that while large projects are available they are not the most common types of projects that freelancers get.
Being a freelancer is a great opportunity and can be a great way to make money and become financially free. However, remember while all these benefits are great, the only way to enjoy them is by providing quality services to your clients and making sure they are always satisfied.
If you are a freelancer or you are interested in being one let us know in the comments below and tell us what you love about freelancing. We would be glad to hear back from you.
