How to Become a Freelancer When You are a Student?

Freelancing is a trendy way to increase your budget if you are a student.

You can be a young scholar, earn good marks, and still earn money. It’s a dream that’s appealing to many. Whether you’re going to write articles, create a blog, or become a user of edit my essay services, there’s always a great way to earn a solid buck if you’re a student. Let me share a couple of great opportunities and skills that will get you started.

How to Become a Freelancer When You Are a Student – Top Tips

So, you want to become a freelancer? First, let’s see if this format of activity suits you. You probably already know that freelancers, regardless of the field of work, must possess several mandatory qualities. If you develop them to a high degree, you can rise high on the career ladder, stay motivated, perform tasks without breaking deadlines, and keep your customers happy. I have selected some of the most important soft skills that will help you succeed in the freelance world and turn remote work into a stable source of income.

1. The ability to communicate effectively with your clients

Communication skills are crucial for a budding freelancer. You will use them at every stage of cooperation with the client: from the acceptance of the project to getting paid. As a freelancer, you must be able to listen, correctly express your point of view, and negotiate with prospective clients. Only then you will make a stellar impression, make a profit from the work done, and encourage your contacts to work with you again. In the process of remote cooperation, both oral and written communication skills are playing an important role. In most cases, clients have a conversation with freelancers through email, Slack, Skype, or a freelancing platform, and less often, by phone or text messages.

 

2. The ability to separate work time from study and leisure time

Always keep track of the number of hours that you daily devote to work and study. How much time do you need to rest and recover? What time of the day are you most productive? In the absence of such distinctions, as a freelancer, you can burn out and damage your health. Five hours of sleep, the desire to do everything in one day, working on several tasks at once – all this may negatively affect your performance over the long term. A lack of planning skills will lead to chaos. Remember the “6 P” Rule – proper prior planning prevents poor performance. Tip: To learn how to better organize your day, read David Allen’s classic book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

3. Maintain high levels of self-discipline and motivation

To become a freelancer while keeping tabs on your study schedule, you need to discipline yourself and develop higher levels of motivation. Without these qualities, you may realize that you don’t have enough time to work on your degree and earn money simultaneously.

Ask yourself two questions:

• Are you ready to complete difficult tasks, even if you don’t like them?
• Will you be able to complete the work on time without being distracted by other tasks?

If you answered “yes” to both questions, then you possess the crucial quality of the divisions. In case you’ve given negative answers, you will either not be able to hold a freelance position for long, or you will have to take yourself under strict control and form new habits. Remember, you will not have bosses and leaders who can guide and motivate you – all this will fall on your shoulders. As Brad Pitt’s character, Jackie said in Killing Them Softly: “I’m living in America, and in America, you’re on your own.” It’s good to take this advice to heart. The source of motivation for a freelancer starting from scratch can be a reward for the work done, the opportunity to develop new valuable skills, and the prospects for improving professional and personal qualities. Remind yourself of the reasons you want to become a freelancer, and they’ll help you get through the tough times that will inevitably come.

4. Decide on the key activities you will perform as a freelancer

Decide in what field you want to work in and what exactly you will do. At this stage, it will be best to embrace and develop the professional skills you already have. For example, if you already give math and science tips to other students, nothing is stopping you from getting into online tutoring. If you have a knack for designing websites, you can start doing something similar, but remotely, and for clients from all around the world. The same goes for young journalists, online marketers, advertising professionals, budding legal advisors, newbie accountants, and translators. After choosing a direction, you need to complete as many projects as possible to develop professional skills. You can find new clients on freelance exchanges, job search sites, and bulletin boards.

5. Become an expert in your area of specialization to boost your income

At this stage, you already know exactly what you want to do and most likely have already completed several small projects. What to do next? How to get to the level when the income from remote work is higher than what you could earn from a salary? You need to decide to become an expert. This is not about pasting template forms on freelance exchanges and combing the search engines for a new low-paying gig. It’s about letting your natural talents shine, and constantly developing new skills through online courses, books, blog articles, YouTube videos, and conversations with other experts.

6. Analyze your first freelance experience

So, you have become a freelance programmer or designer, and with persistence and determination, you were able to land your first gig – congratulations! What conclusions can you draw from this experience? What fresh insights have you gained working remotely? What would you like to change? To move on, you need to answer these questions honestly. Also, at this stage, you need to work on recognizing some of the errors you have made in the past.

Here’s a list of the main beginner freelance mistakes:

• Performing too many tasks at the same time
• not getting enough time to rest and mixing study time with work time.
• Over-communicating, instead of focusing on getting the job done.
• Not fully understanding the price of a freelance project (and getting paid too little)
• Working without a detailed plan.

Analyze your mistakes and think about how to change your approach to do better in the future. This will help you move to a new level faster and adjust the workflow accordingly. Also, do not forget about the basic qualities that a freelancer must have; communication, planning skills, and self-discipline.

Summary and next steps on your freelance journey

You have decided to become a freelancer and have come a long way from a beginner to a specialist who already knows a lot. You have a significant portfolio that does not leave prospective clients indifferent on the freelance sites. Up to this point, you could have completed several large projects or found permanent remote work. Monthly income has already grown to the level of office salary. Execution of orders is much easier. The stability you only dreamed of in the first stage has begun. But what to do next?

Scale Up, Develop, and Earn More

You need to start developing a personal brand. If you are a freelance writer – create a copywriting agency, hire people, advertise your services, and make money. A designer, programmer, and photographer can follow the same path. If all goes well, after a while it will be possible to implement several more projects. There are no restrictions – it’s up to you. The most important thing is to find the right balance between studying and getting paid through freelancing. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to start writing your college blog.