If you are tired of your regular 9 to 5 schedule in an uncomfortable office with a nagging boss always looking over your shoulder, all you have to do is to be ready for a change. You can set your own working schedule, work from the comfort of your home, and answer to no one but yourself while making good earnings. A lot of people take freelancing as a hobby or a great way to make a little cash on the side at the beginning but, more and more, decide that they should turn it into a full-time thing once they realize how many benefits it has.
Becoming a freelancer means working remotely, having a lot more freedom, and being a digital nomad. So, if you want to commit to a full-time freelancing career in tech, you will need the right amount of courage, information, and preparation. Read on the following steps that will help you out in the process:
The rise of freelancing and working from home
First of all, you need to fix the courage issue because choosing to quit your full-time day job and begin to freelance full-time can be daunting. It comes with the insecurity of being completely in charge of your professional career and could challenge your courage as you’ll have to leave a secure income for one that may be volatile. Yet, you shouldn’t worry as it happens to everyone who makes such an important change in their lives. Thus, you should first know that freelancing is certainly on the rise worldwide so you won’t be stepping into a whole new universe.
The idea of a more flexible work environment and schedule is shifting the landscape of hiring across almost all employment fields. In fact, studies show that there are currently 57 million freelancers and it is predicted that freelancers will make up the majority of the workforce in less than a decade. Moreover, more and more corporations consider long-term hires with freelancers as the ideal solutions because they can create a well-rounded team with tech professionals from all around the world without having to deal with remote challenges.
Where can you find projects?
As the freelancing world is on the rise, connecting business owners with quality contractors is easier than ever. There is a multitude of platforms available online where you can connect with employers worldwide and find the most interesting and well-paid projects. While some make freelancers bid on projects, others merely play match-maker. Also, some take a percentage of the project value while still others work with flat rates. Yet, they all serve the same purpose that is to help potential freelancers and clients connect. Here are the most popular sites that you can use to find projects and kickstart your freelancing career in tech:
Upwork
It is one of the most famous online freelancer marketplace and enterprise solution company and has been a result of a merger between Elance and oDesk, both platforms considered to be leaders in online freelancing in the past. The platform is known as the world’s largest freelance talent marketplace. Freelancers have to create profiles that outline their skills and experiences along with their job histories and portfolios. The platform takes a 20 percent commission on any earnings but provides freelancers with many project opportunities. If you choose to go for the free membership, when you sign up, you will receive a certain number of free so-called “Connects” per month that you can use to bid on jobs.
Freelancer
Freelancer platform is very similar to Upwork site providing freelancers with mostly the same benefits. Freelancers sign up with profiles that contain their skills and experiences and can start bidding on the projects posted by clients. However, the only difference between Upwork and Freelancer sites is the fact that finding high-paying work on Freelancer might be more difficult as the platform boasts more than 29 million users. Yet, it is a great site to start with as you can bid on small projects and gain some experience while you are still at the beginning of your freelancing career.
Guru
Guru platform is one of the deepest in the freelance field and aims to attract a more expert base of clientele and freelancers, rather than mixing in a lot of cheap job listings. It is the site used mostly by businesses that want to deal with a proven vendor that has a lot of experience in their industry. Thus, if you consider yourself an expert in the tech industry and aim to get long-term projects, Guru will be a great website for you to get projects after you gather some experience in the freelancing field.
Top highest paying freelance jobs
Whether you are thinking of doing this full-time or simply just want to earn some extra income, your choice of specialty is vital. Read on to find out what the top paying tech gigs are:
Web Developer
If you have a great experience at building and coding websites, freelancing can bring you good earnings. Nowadays, everybody wants to have their own website but lack the skills and time to make one. This is where you can step in and use your expertise to do it and earn a good salary.
Mobile App Developer
In today’s marketplace, all businesses need a mobile app besides their websites to connect better with their customers. Enterprise mobile apps development faced an amazing evolution in the past few years, thus giving businesses the opportunity to expand and improve their services better than ever. Thus, top companies and start-ups are looking for freelancers for their mission-critical software projects.
Graphic Designer
This job ranks at number two on UpWork’s most in-demand skills list. Designing webpages, infographics or designs for print are also related skills that could bring you high-paying projects in the freelancing field.
Game Developer
If you are a videogame fanatic and would love to build your own games and getting to test them, this job will be ideal for you. You will earn high amounts of money while doing what you are passionate about.