Can I Freelance?
This is a question I asked myself before I started. A friend of mine had been working online as a software developer for about 5 years. He and I had talked about it multiple times and I loved the idea of being location independent. I could understand jobs as a freelance web developer; freelance graphic designer or freelance writer. All these have a product to sell. However, my main skills were in engineering project management. I thought the answer to "Can I freelance?" was "NO!". I was wrong. What can you do online if you don't have a "trade"?
The World is Your Mollusc
Since getting into freelancing I have become aware that there is a huge demand for all kinds of skill online. As I mentioned earlier I came from a project management background. Once I started to investigate on freelancing sites I realised that there is actually a high demand for project managers. People need project managers for all kinds of things. Often people don't actually need a traditional project manager as much as they need an intelligent assistant who can be trusted.
These days all of my projects are entirely online and they cover a wide range; creating an explainer video; building sales websites; curating an online magazine. However, the very first client I picked up wanted me to manage his office renovation... in Australia. That was something well within my experience but managing it remotely, from another country was something of a challenge! This project really highlighted to me that clients look for people online to do everything under the sun.
So, What Are the Options?
There is almost no end to the possibilities for a remote job online. Here are a few that you may not have considered:
- customer support (no9to5's own Oli wrote a great article about this here)
- social media management
- project management
- virtual assistance
- dependent on your background - financial, legal, engineering
One of the great things about online work is that people will often try you out if your prices are reasonable and your proposal is good. Do you think you have the skills to manage projects but never had the opportunity to do so? In the "real world" no one will hire you as a project manager without some background experience. Online you could win a small project management contract, do really well and use that experience to help get more.
You may not feel like you fit into one of these job roles now. However, if you're looking to change your career then freelancing can help. It's important to think about what transferable skills you have and not the name of the job you do now. How could someone make use of your skills in a different indsutry?
That's Why We're Here
This is essentially the whole reason why we created no9to5. I frequently hear "It sounds really good but I don't think I have suitable skills." We have met lots of people that are really interested in the idea of online freelance work but don't know where to start.
We were in that position once and I wish someone could have given us a roadmap to get to where we wanted to be. Now we can travel and work and we love it! Get in contact and we'd love to help you get started.