Freelancing

Freelancing Is The New Trend

We’re approaching the end of 2021 and welcoming the year 2022. Oh, how things have changed ever since we were first “attacked” by Covid-19.

From having a desk job to working on your kitchen top.

From sitting next to your annoying classmate to virtually sitting next to that same annoying classmate.

From missing your family during working hours to missing being away from them during working hours…

We can go on and on about how things have changed ever since 2020. And 2021 is the year we’re getting comfortable and starting to appreciate the changes.

So, many of us decided to quit our jobs to pursue that delightful taste of flexibility and convenience we experienced during the lockdown.

According to Microsoft, 46 percent of the global workforce thinks quitting their jobs is better after experiencing working remotely.

In the United States alone, the pandemic impacted 34 percent of citizens’ start doing freelance work.

Though freelancing has been around far longer than 2020, it seems to be more of a new trend for full-time employees to do the switch. Supporting study shows, 35 percent of the international workforce are freelancers.

What is Freelancing?

I remember when I was young, the first time I stumbled upon the word — Freelancer.

It was a completely foreign word to me…like when I first learned the word, Fiancé.

I asked my once conservative mother what it meant, and she said — that means you’re jobless! You should never be a freelancer! Wow, that definitely ticked her off.

So for many years, I had this idea in my head that if I were ever to be a freelancer — that would make me a failure. Boy was I wrong…

Yes, freelancing comes with a lot of uncertainties of the vague future. But being one doesn’t make you a failure. You’re just doing a different line of work than most people.

Cambridge online dictionary stated that freelance means — doing particular pieces of work for different organizations, rather than working all the time for one.

In other words, you have the freedom to choose who to work with and how long your working span is in a day.

Other terms of freelancing include — contract work, independent contractor, and contract-to-hire.

Why The Switch To Freelancing?

1. Unsatisfying Pay

Of course, being a freelancer doesn’t make you millions overnight. Chances are, we never will. Especially with the initial struggles of competing with fresh and seasoned freelancers to get paying gigs from job boards.

But many of us decide to enter the freelancing scene due to full-time jobs with unsatisfactory salaries. You work so hard, yet you feel like it’s going nowhere…

So might as well leave that dull, dead-end job and step into an unknown with more space for opportunities, right?

2. Devil Employer

Okay, maybe calling your employer a devil is a bit of a stretch. Kudos to the awesome bosses out there, by the way!

Unfortunately, we’re not all lucky enough to have an angel for a boss. For some of us, our employers are narcissists, oppressive, and short-tempered. They feel so powerful being the king of their castle…except for everywhere else.

These “wonderful” negative attributes by our “dear” bosses are especially driving the highly skilled and motivated away. So often, workers resign not to leave their jobs…but their employers.

3. Toxic Co-workers

A toxic workplace is mentally deteriorating. The chitter-chatter that stops when you walk into the room. The patronizing glances they thought you didn’t catch (I mean, how stupid do these hyena packs think we are?).

What makes it even worse — racism. That’s a huge no-no! This could be blatant favoritism over co-workers of the same ethnicity and offensive racial slurs.

U.S.News stated that 89 percent of colored skin employees had experienced discrimination. Other multiracial countries like Malaysia also experience unfair treatment at the workplace.

How disappointing…

4. Working Remotely

Experiencing remote work during lockdowns has changed our perspective of a comfortable working environment. The regular 7 to 12 working hours are no longer relevant to our daily lives because we now know remote work is possible.

What’s So Great About It?

1. Flexible Working Hours

You can now work within a flexible time frame! Yes, you have projects to complete, but you can choose when and how long you work. In addition, you can decide how many projects to work on.

2. Control Over Own Income

Need to earn more? Then look for more clients to work with. Happy with your current earnings? Then you can stick with the number of projects you’re doing. As stated by Upwork, 93 percent of dedicated freelancers appreciate the freedom of how much they’d prefer to earn.

3. Comfort and Convenience

No longer need to worry about the morning rush and peak hours. Or ironing your shirt and fixing your tie in a hurry. Freelancing gives you the liberty to work from wherever you feel like it. Working from home in comfortable home wear is the best in most cases!

4. Mental Health Care

Working with a dictatorial boss, toxic colleagues, not to mention the hectic commute are mentally taxing. Dealing with all of these isn’t contributing to good mental health. The advantage of being in control gives you space to care more about your mental health wellness

Popular Freelancing Jobs

There are so many jobs for freelancers out there. But here, I’m going to list the ones that are currently in trend.

1. Content Creator

A year ago, whenever I heard someone say Content Creator, the first thing that came to my mind would be — Oh, that means YouTuber, right? Because I always hear some YouTubers call themselves a Content Creator.

Yeah…I’m not proud of my lack of knowledge in this field. But we all started somewhere, right?

Being a Content Creator is a lot more than editing and producing YouTube videos. A content developer is a person who makes entertaining or informative content for distribution via any medium or channel.

Many content creators today are on digital platforms because a massive chunk of digital content is consumed frequently. According to a study, 57.6 percent of the global population uses social media with standard usage of 2 hours and 27 minutes every day.

Bear in mind. Social media is just part of the digital world. In other words, the numbers are higher for digital content consumption as a whole. As supporting evidence shows, 60.1 percent of the global population are internet users with average usage of 6 hours and 56 minutes daily.

In addition to that, out of the total percentage of internet users, 92.8 percent access the internet via smartphones. Well, of course, we all know how convenient it is to just look up anything by pulling a small device out of our pockets or purses.

The accessibility leads to the need for constant creation and distribution of digital content.

Content creating in businesses may include:

• Digital marketing materials.
• Email marketing.
• Social media posts.
• Case studies.
• Adverts.
• Articles or blog posts.
• Yearly reports.
• Press releases.
• Newsletters.

2. Bilingual Services

Are you fluent in two or more languages? Bilingual service is one of the popular freelance jobs currently. TechRepublic stated that there’d been a 30 percent increase in bilingual remote job vacancies since February 2020.

In-demand bilingual services include translators, interviewers, interpreters, quality raters, communication managers, and customer service agents.

Great bilingual jobs you can do in your pajama pants are:

• Customer service agent.
• Teaching foreign language.
• Teaching English to non-native speakers.
• Translate, edit, and proofread documents.
• Interpreter.
• Virtual assistant for business owners with bilingual prospects.

3. Office and Customer Support

Business owners are too busy to do data entry work. That’s when freelance clerks came into play. Many businesses prefer hiring freelancers rather than taking a full-time employee as it saves more money.

The same goes for customer support which comes in different forms:

• Phone call.
• Fax (but who really users fax these days).
• Email.
• Live chat.

I’m sure most of us have contacted customer service at least twice in our adulthood. I mean, that’s what partly being a grown-up is, right? Waiting excruciatingly long to be connected to a support agent while listening to upbeat jingles and more ads.

Regardless, customer service is essential for business success because it keeps customers happy by providing assistance and obtaining more value. Simply put, good customer support means businesses are more likely to gain consumers’ loyalty and referrals.

So, do you think you have what it takes to offer superb assistance to customers remotely?

4. Mental Health Support

Are you a good communicator? And most importantly — are you a good listener? Can you empathize instead of rolling your eyes when listening to a stranger’s problems?

Betterhelp is one of the platforms where many psychologists and therapists work remotely with flexible hours. They claim to be the most extensive online therapy service, with over 20 thousand certified therapists helping over 1.7 million people.

Though most freelance jobs in the mental wellness department require a course-related qualification, some are unnecessary, like emotional support helplines. A patient ear with high-level empathy is crucial for this.

People who call these support helplines need non-judgmental and non-bias advice. But, in most cases, they just need a kind stranger to hear them out.

But, if you’re not in a good emotional state yourself, it wouldn’t be the best fit for you.

A little story about myself — I struggled to teach a child with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) before.

I’m not trained to teach kids with special needs on top of dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) myself. So it was a losing battle on my end.

If you feel you have the mental capacity to listen to depressing stories every day, or even better, you’re trained and certified — then this is for you.

5. Services For House Design and Renovation

If you have experience with interior design and architecture, there’s a market for you out there to use your skills and earn money. Earlier in 2021, an increase of up to 15 percent of job postings for freelance designers and architects.

If designing and renovating isn’t for you, why don’t becoming a home organizing coach? Is your personal space well-organized? Do you arrange your wardrobe by color? There are people out there looking for coaching on organizing their homes.

Final Thoughts

As you understand by now, Covid-19 had a significant impact on full-time workers turning to freelancers. But that’s not the only contributing factor. Poor working environments, low pay, and selfish employers are part of the mix.

Despite uncertainties, freelance has gained more popularity because of working remotely in your own time, deciding who to work with, and better mental health care.

The digital era is advancing more each year, and freelance jobs are getting more in demand. So, as long as you’re willing to learn new skills and frequently update them by taking relevant courses — you’ll have ample options on the freelance niche of your choice.

So, are you interested in switching to freelancing? If that’s the case, which freelance niche is your calling?