Welcome to Part II of The Location Independent Lifestyle Series – Work From Anywhere Jobs! Today we are going to talk about freelancing. If you missed Part I, which talked about avoiding work from home scams, you can read it here.
We consciously chose this location independent lifestyle, which obviously means that we love freedom! What better way to choose freedom than by freelancing for your work. Millions of people have discovered the benefits of freelancing. Us digital nomads are not alone though – a recent poll shows that 78% of people would go freelance, if they could make enough money to live on. And it looks like many of them are doing just that – there are over 30 million freelancers in the United States. 49% of these freelancers make between $25,000 and $75,000 per year, and a whopping 27% make over $75,000 per year. As of 2015, there are approximately 2.9 million freelancers who earned in excess of $100,000. Not a bad gig!!
But what types of jobs are these freelancers doing, and where do they find them? Some of the most popular freelance careers include:
*Marketing Manager, Marketing Coordinator
*Project Manager, Process Analyst
*Web Developer
*Accounting
*Insurance Inspector or Appraiser
*Teaching or Tutoring
*Graphic Design
*Administrative Assistant
*Social Media Coordinator
*Writer
Since my background is in photography, I myself have done some freelance photography work for Demand Media. The projects were fairly easy, and the pay was not bad for the amount of time spent on each one. They also work with writers, producers and filmmakers. I also shoot stock photography for several stock companies including Shutterstock and I-Stock.
Using freelance workers is a great way for employers to keep their costs down (no office to house employees), and allows them to stay competitive in a tough economy. With the advent of the internet, employee meetings can now go online via sites such as GoToMeeting, HighFive, or even Google Hangouts.
Some great places to look for freelance jobs include:
Flexjobs: They boast over 50 job categories from entry-level to executive. Every job has been hand-screened and researched so there are no scams. All jobs provide some kind of job flexibility.
Upwork or Outsource: With 4+ million clients looking for freelancers on Upwork, there’s sure to be plenty of jobs. Freelancers create a portfolio, then submit applications for projects and get hired just like a traditional job.
Freelancer: Potential freelancers submit competitive bids on posted projects. Employers can also hire for hourly projects, or run contests to find the best freelancer for their project.
Fiverr: You can sell just about anything on Fiverr to millions of people from around the world, for $5. You keep 80% of each gig you sell and Fiverr takes 20%. The sky is pretty much the limit on Fiverr, so get creative on what you will offer (within reason of course).
Craigslist: It’s more than just a place to sell your crap you no longer need now that you’re on the road! Craigslist is actually a great place to look for freelance gigs. You can browse for local jobs, or search the big cities for a chance to find remote work.
But what if you don’t feel that you have the skills necessary to perform these freelance jobs? There is such a wide variety of jobs, from simple customer service telephone work to coding complicated websites, that I think every skill level is represented. Most of the time all you need is a good internet connection (see our blog post on WiFi That Works!) and the self-discipline to get the job done!
Whether you are a customer service agent, graphic designer, a computer programmer or anything in between, there is a freelance job out there for you. Hopefully this article has given you some new ideas to think about, and some places to go to look for work! Be sure to follow my Work From Home Pinterest board! I’m always adding new pins to it with great ideas for work from anywhere jobs!
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