Graduation 2022: What’s Next?
Why freelancing is a grad idea for you
So, you’re approaching graduation and thinking (or worrying) about the next steps for you? This is one of the most stressful times for graduates – completing exams and assessments while planning for a career. It’s also typical that the application and interview processes for jobs are extensive, often coming at the worst time.
Well, have you ever considered freelancing? The number of freelancers in the UK is always growing, and the opportunities to do so rise with it. More workers and graduates are choosing freelancing as the better, and more flexible approach to work. If you are considering becoming a freelancer after university, read ahead to see what it could be like for you.
Who can freelance
You can start freelancing after graduation, or whilst you’re a student. In these situations, freelancing may be a better option than being an employee and taking the traditional route of making an income. Freelancing allows you to become self-employed meaning you would be your boss. This means greater flexibility over when you work, the hours you do and the rate you charge for your services.
What is freelancing
This all sounds great, but if you’re new to freelancing, you might need a bit more of an introduction. Essentially, as a freelancer, you would be running your own business. Many freelancers sell services to clients, and these often include graphic design, website design, writing and editing, and many more.
As a graduate, starting as a sole trader and listing your services on a freelance website will allow you to build up essential skills, contacts, and experience to take forward. Many freelancers end up converting into a limited company a few years down the line.
If you have decided that freelancing is the route for you, then check out Revolancer. Here, you can browse through listed services and research your desired field. It will allow you an insight into the skills necessary to freelance, at the same time providing you with a good idea for a competitive rate.
What skills do you need
So, what are these essential skills? While you can offer any of your practical skills and talents as a freelance service, there are a few additional qualities that will make life easier following graduation.
Running your own business means you become responsible for your finances and overheads. Therefore, being an organised person from the advent of your freelancing days will pay off. Organisation and time management will be key to staying in business. You will need to create your calendar, decide which days to work, what you will do on each day, and remain disciplined. Effective time management will also help you network and impress your client, allowing you to build a valued, and marketable reputation. It will also come in handy as your workload increases as time goes by and networks increase. Having these processes in place will prove useful in every aspect of freelancing.
We also recommend staying on top of communications. Keeping in regular contact with your client through updates, check-ins and verifying the task will play a big role in securing future work and remaining on target with your deadlines.
Why you should become a freelancer
There are a multitude of advantages to freelancing for students and graduates, especially in comparison with other modes of employment. We’ve detailed a few recommendations below as to why freelancing might be for you.
After graduation, you may be on the fence about working in the city where you attend university or whether to move back home. Freelancing affords you the flexibility to work from home, or anywhere in the world. With a lot of the work done remotely, you don’t have to make these permanent and stressful decisions right out of university. This flexibility also provides freelancers with a greater work/life balance. You can decide which hours and days suit you, alongside the flexibility of working from home, it gives you time to do other things now you aren’t tied to university anymore.
Freelancing also means you can start working and earning straight away, there are no waiting periods between applying for a job, hearing back, interviewing, and then waiting for a start date. These processes can take around 3 months depending on the job. As a freelancer, you won’t have to wait for HR or any other verifications, and it means you can start gaining experience and earning money from the get-go. Working for yourself also means you profit entirely from your work. This is a motivating and rewarding aspect of the trade, to see the value of your work and time, pushing you to improve and provide excellent quality services. A lot of which is often lost through other modes of employment.
The takeaway
Going into work after graduation is a big step, and not everyone knows where to begin in a new career. Leaping freelancing is something you can do to try out a skill or a way of working. It is completely reversible and something that may open so many horizons for your new chapter ahead.
Before you go
If this article inspired you to step into freelancing, check out Top 5 Tools for Freelance Designers for useful tools and equipment you may need to get you started.
Freelance marketplace: Revolancer