Why Aren’t You Freelancing?

Your parents just asked you, for the 5^th time this week, what you want to do after university, but do you really know?

You’ve done well, you’re studying at a respected Russell Group university, but, outside of your degree area, what else can you do? You want a few extra hundred pounds to take you through to the end of summer, but where are you going to get it?

Freelance work is no new thing, and certainly isn’t a difficult concept to understand – you work the hours you want, on the jobs you want. Be it just a one hour task or a week long project, freelance work is quick, flexible and hugely beneficial.

The one drawback to freelance work stems from its flexibility; it admittedly can be hard to plan or budget off a purely freelance income. However, the beauty for students lies within this potential non-issue.

Student freelancing is the perfect first step, and it isn’t going away, and it’s only going to get bigger – this is fantastic news for all of us!

Students don’t find the label of ‘intern’ or ‘temp’ daunting, but the word ‘freelancer’ terrifies many. The truth is, you shouldn’t be afraid! If you’re unsure on why this freelancing is so good, or how you can benefit from pursuing it, here’s why I love it:

QUICK MONEY

Online companies offer people a chance to browse through job opportunities, to find one that best suits their time, skills and pay requirements. What’s more, there are a select few who are tailored solely for students looking to get into freelance work with many projects that pay hundreds of pounds!

Most student projects can be worked on whenever the student wants in their time, so you can work and earn as fast or slowly as you like before the deadline.

GREAT WORK EXPERIENCE

Increasingly, employers are looking at experience, not grades, to determine who gets ahead of other candidates. It’s not hard to believe that people who have relevant experience, and what’s more, who have taken it upon themselves to get and complete the freelance work, will shine through for prospective employers!

GOOD PRACTICE

You can either go back to working in the pub or the supermarket over the holidays, or you can get some proper experience – whether it’s finding out what you’re good at, or simply ruling out what you don’t enjoy, freelance work gives you a priceless look at potential career routes.

The beauty of freelancing is that practically anything, be it academic skills, or your own personal talents,or even a new hobby, can be relevant to freelance work.

CONTACTS AND NETWORKING

It’s been said a thousand times: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and, rightly or wrongly, this is often the case in the world of work. A project with a company doesn’t just end when they pay you, if you’re any good.

It can only take one contact to get you going on the career ladder, so the more freelance work you do, the more prepared you are for that inescapable leap into post-uni adulthood.

There’s a few sites out there that, as previously mentioned, are tailored to student, or recent graduate, freelancers. One of these sites is Gradlancer; they’re local to Southampton, and as with many in the freelance business, they’re going places, so I’d definitely say go take 5 minutes to register with them.

Do you freelance already? Let us know your stories in the comments!