How to Become a Successful Freelancer by Taking These Online Courses
Once considered a temporary and non-serious occupation, Freelancing has gained dramatic popularity in recent years. In fact, more than 35% of the American population is part of the gig economy.
Flexible timings, accessibility, and the incentive of making money on the side are some of the main reasons for the rising popularity of the Freelancing market. Since January, a new reason has propelled the freelancing market; COVID – 19.
Over 100 countries have instated partial or full lockdown in an attempt to flatten the COVID-19 curve. People are restricted to their homes, and most have been laid off as small businesses are shutdown.
For people limited to their homes, Freelancing seems a logical choice to earn a decent living wage. Even if you are financially secure, Freelancing gives you a chance to engage in an activity and stay productive while indoors.
Are you interested in Freelancing, but are not having much success in attracting customers online? If yes, then don’t worry! We have compiled a list of courses you can take to sharpen your skills and make it in the burgeoning Freelancing industry.
A few advantages that you can avail while working as a freelancer are:
· Freedom to choose the work you want to do
· The flexibility of time and location
· Can get opportunities to make more money than a traditional job
· More time to focus on skill-building
· Higher exposure
Now, if you are convinced to start working as a freelancer, there are a few courses that you must take before you dive into Freelancing. It is always a better idea to be prepared a little before entering into anything new. The following are a few courses that can help you in becoming a better freelancer. Even if you are already freelancing, glance at these courses and enhance your skills to manage your work efficiently:
1. Courses for Freelancers on Udemy
Udemy is an excellent platform for people for online courses and includes a wide range of subjects and topics. Whether you are a techie or an artist; there is a course for everyone at Udemy. Udemy has multiple courses for freelancers that can help them understand the dynamics of Freelancing. Through these courses, you can learn to live by staying at home, learn how to reach out to clients, which skills to gain or improve, and the areas to focus on. It highlights the areas which freelancers usually ignore.
These courses are aimed for beginners, they start with basics to make it clear for people on where to start. After completion of these courses, you would be able to independently work on projects.
Advantages
· The courses are specially targeted for beginners
· The courses are taught by experienced professionals
· Project management is taught for beginners
· The nitty-gritty of Freelancing is covered.
· The courses are self-paced
2. Freelance Courses by SkillShare
Building and branding yourself as a freelancer can be a tricky task and requires perseverance and patience, along with knowledge about the key steps. To stay updated and enhance the skills that you need to focus on, SkillShare has several interesting courses present for candidates interested in freelancing. The platform also offers skill-based specific courses for people who are stepping into Freelancing.
Advantages
· Audio/video-based courses which are easy to grasp
· Expert lead courses
· Self-Paced
· Short and precise lectures
· Tips on marketing and business fundamentals
3. Writing for the Web at Class Central
Many people choose content writing as a freelancing job. While a lot of people are available to write content, only a few realize its worth. The importance of quality web content can take you to places. People who are selecting content writing for the web need to take this course available on Class Central to enhance their writing skills. The course focuses on the need of the readers, improving writing style and structure as well as teaching the basic SEO skills to writers as well.
New writers may not be aware, but it is essential to integrate keywords that drive traffic to the published article. For example, a carpet cleaning business may ask you to write a blog for their website and include the keyword Carpet cleaning Battersea in your content for higher visibility.
Writing courses at Class Central is beneficial for people who are or want to pursue a career in web content writing, web publishing, digital marketing, advertising designer website coordinator, etc. You must work on the skill that you are planning to build your portfolio on.
Advantages
· Learn how to increase engagement via content
· Learn how to give your content better structure
· Learn the techniques of content optimization and search engine optimization
4. Freelancing 101 at CreativeLive
Another helpful course for people who are thinking of starting Freelancing is Freelancing 101: Turning your Side Hustle into Cash. This course focuses on enhancing business skills that you need to get more projects. The course focuses on building an action plan and work on building a network, which is a critical step in Freelancing. Moreover, focusing on competitor analysis and making your work stand out are also being highlighted in the course. Setting small goals and focus on achieving them can help you expand and grow as a freelancer.
Advantages
· Focuses on negotiation skills and making your work stand out
· Detailed classes focusing on important factors to improve your freelancer skills
· Easy access to lectures
· Helps in figuring out how to take projects that interests you
5. Courses for Freelancers – LinkedIn
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced freelancer, LinkedIn courses focus on enhancing and helping freelancers at different levels. There are helpful guidelines to focus on portfolio management as well as enhancing advanced skills that are essential for freelancers. The courses are concentrated towards proposal making, communication with clients, time management, contract formation, pricing and invoicing, etc. These skills are essential to learning to become a successful freelancer.
Advantages
· The courses are free of cost for the first month
· You can complete the course at your own pace
· Practical exercises can help you understand better
· Lectures can also be attended with offline option
· Easy and manageable lectures