What are Freelance and Freelancing?

If you work freelance, you can work anywhere and anytime. (Source: Unsplash/Avi Richards)

If you haven’t heard the word “freelance” or “freelancing,” you’re missing out! Many students and adults are working as freelancers as a side hustle and even their main job. 

What are Freelance and Freelancing?

A freelancer does work for clients without committing to full-time work and not for one specific company. Often, they will work on multiple projects with different clients simultaneously. Their work is referred to as “freelancing.”

Also read: Studying While Freelancing? Check out some types of freelancing based on your major! 

Why is Freelancing Popular?

Freelancing is one of the fastest-growing career paths for young people today. It’s a response to what they see as previous generations’ overly structured work environment. 

Many are working as a freelancer full-time, crossing national, industry, and occupational boundaries. With rapid changes in the economy, technology, and work culture, we see that even those more accustomed to an office environment turn to freelance work or risk being left behind.

Popular jobs among freelancers are content writers, copywriters, photographers, video/photo editors, graphic designers, and more.

How Does Being a Freelancer Work?

When working as a freelancer, generally, clients will pay per project, task, or hour, depending on the agreement. Freelancers’ projects usually involve short-term assignments as they will only work on one project. 

As a freelancer, you don’t work exclusively for a particular company; therefore, you have the freedom to work anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. That’s right, remote working! With today’s globalization, you could work for companies overseas as a freelancer.

Unlike people who work full-time in an office, you have full control over your working hours. You can choose how many hours you want to work, which days, how much you want to be paid (subject to negotiation with the client), and how many projects you want to take on.

For this reason, a freelancer must have good time management. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed with managing the amount of work and dividing your time between one job and another.  

How to Start Becoming a Freelancer

1. Build a Portfolio 

Build and organize your portfolio using websites or social media! Your Linkedin account can also be used as your digital portfolio. Do you want to be a freelance graphic designer? You can collect and display your works and projects on your social media or a website. People can then see your portfolio and use your services if they are interested!

2. Join an Internship Program

Are you still lacking experience and portfolio? Don’t worry; you can start by joining an internship program. Remember to be proactive during your internship and create/produce work as much as possible!

3. Search for Freelance Jobs on Job Search Sites

Once you have enough experience and a portfolio, visit job search sites like Linkedin to look for freelance job openings. You can also open your services on apps like Fiverr and Upwork, which are widely used by freelancers globally.

Also read: Types of Freelance Writers Suitable for Various Majors.

Conclusions

Freelance, freelancer is someone who works freelance and is not tied to a company (freelancing). Being a freelancer is now popular because many young people want more control over their work, working time, and their salary. 

Becoming a freelancer is not difficult either! As long as you have some experience, tons of freelance jobs can be found on the internet.

Sources:

• Author
• World Scientific
• UpWork

By Levina Chrestella Theodora

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id