How Students Can Start Freelancing…

Freelancing is a great way for students to earn extra cash or even make a full-time income from the comfort of your dorm room.

Being a freelancer will allow you to work at your own pace and schedule, which is extremely important when there are already many things going on with college. However, before you land your first freelance gig, you need to know what it takes to become a freelancer and how to launch a successful freelance career.

This post will be useful if you’re a student looking for a new income stream. I’ll provide you with plenty of tips that will allow you to become an outstanding freelancer in no time!

How Can Students Start Freelancing?

Freelancing is excellent for students, especially introverts and people who don’t like working in large companies. However, there are a couple of things you need to do in order to become a profitable freelancer.

1. Identify Your Strengths
2. Build Some Basic Business Skills
3. Network Within the Community
4. Sign Up for Freelancing Sites

Identify Strengths

Before you start freelancing, you’ll need to identify your strengths so that you can find your first freelance job.

Are you good at writing? Can you edit videos? Film content? All of these are valuable skills that you can leverage to make money! 

Knowing your strengths will help you decide on which freelancing services you can offer. You will also be able to command a higher rate and find your first clients if you start with what you already know. 

One of the first things you should do is focus on a particular type of job, depending on your strengths. 

Here is a list of some of the most common freelance jobs you can try out:

• Graphic designer
• Content writer
• Copywriter
• Virtual Assistant
• Teacher

Build Business Skills

You need to develop your business skills to become a successful freelancer. While your desired skill set will depend on the type of job you’re looking for, there are some general skills you should acquire, including:

• Operational skills (time management, task prioritizing, delegation, etc.)
• Functional skills (social media marketing, sales skills, money management, etc.)
• People skills (networking, pitching skills, leadership skills, etc.)

Don’t worry about gaining all of these skills overnight!

These are all things that you can pick up as you begin freelancing. That being said, understanding these skills will help you grow as a freelancer and even help you highlight your strengths to potential clients!

Make a list of potential clients who might be interested in your services. This list may include your parent’s friends, local small businesses, or your neighbors. 

The idea behind this is more than just finding potential clients. You’ll easily gain more popularity and credibility by recommendations from your community!

You might even get people coming to you, knowing that you offer the service they need. The more people know about you, the higher the chances of landing your first gig.

Here are some ways you can start networking :

• Create a portfolio of your work
• Spread the information through your friends and family
• Make promotional flyers or cards
• Consider helping a friend/family member for free as a one-time trial to showcase your abilities
• Don’t be afraid to mention your service if you’re speaking with someone who needs the skills and knowledge you possess

Sign up for Freelancing Sites

A great way to find your first online job is to sign up for freelancing sites. These sites will help connect you with potential clients for a small fee. 

Don’t worry, this amount is usually only taken once the client pays you! That being said, you will want to price your services accordingly to make sure that you are still getting paid fairly for your time.

Some of the best freelancing platforms for beginners include:

Fiverr

Fiver is a great freelance platform, mostly for creative freelance work such as content writing and graphic design. However, people offer various digital services on the platform.

As a seller on Fiverr, you have the ability to create your own gig with detailed explanations about the things you offer. You are in charge of setting the price and determining the “packages” people get for their money.

However, the competition on Fiver is quite high, and many buyers don’t go for new freelancers as they don’t have any rates, which can be discouraging. That doesn’t mean you should give up, but you might need to invest in marketing and promoting your gig.

Upwork

UpWork is an excellent, free freelancing platform that allows freelancers to make their own profiles, showcasing the skills they possess. The platform offers a variety of jobs, from writing and marketing to data analysis and web development. 

Every job has extensive details about the requirements, duration, and payments, which is extremely important when looking for new clients. When applying for a job, you have the freedom to throw your own pitch and impress the potential customer. 

So, is Upwork worth it?

You should definitely try UpWork out if you’re new to the freelancing world. However, keep in mind that the competition on the website is quite high, so it might take a while to get that first job. 

Indeed

Indeed is another decent freelancing platform where you can apply for different jobs. This platform offers freelancing and full-time gigs, with the jobs containing detailed information about the position.

What’s great about Indeed is that they now offer certification courses. This can help you showcase your skills and make your own CV through the platform. The jobs also frequently emphasize the primary skills you need to have, so you’ll know whether you’re a match. 

The downside of Indeed is the same as with other freelancing platforms. There are many applicants, which decreases your chance of getting a response from a recruiter. That beings said, you can easily help your application stand out by connecting with the hiring managers on LinkedIn!

What to expect when freelancing as a student

When I was in college, I often juggled multiple side hustles. It can quickly get overwhelming juggling so many new responsibilities. 

My biggest recommendation is to be realistic with your scheduling. If you are freelancing, you will want to place set times in your schedule where you apply  to new projects and work on current assignments. 

Additionally, you may want to scale back during the week or so before finals or whenever you know you have big school commitments on the horizon. Summer is a great time to double down on freelancing work!

My final tip is that you should focus on saving 15% of your earnings for a rainy day. I would usually earn around $500+ from freelancing related work. By saving just 15%, you will have $75 put aside each month. This will add up to $900 by the end of the year!

Final thoughts on how students can start freelancing

If you’re a student looking to earn extra cash, be sure to consider freelancing. Remember that the beginning can be hard, and don’t give up after the first attempt. Instead, push through your boundaries, and watch your freelancing career grow!

Learning how to make an active income will help you learn how to handle obligations and money. Eventually, you can leverage these skills into generating a passive income stream as well!