2021 will be the year of the Gig Economy

The new year is here and with that comes new year resolutions. While we may have had a rough and tough 2020, it’s important to look back and analyze the changes that occurred in the past year and what is the new normal.

If there is one thing that we have learned, it’s that change is the only constant and the only ones who survive are those who are always on their toes. People who didn’t accept the power of the internet were amongst the first ones to embrace the change and the new working environment that their organizations were forced to set for them. Those who rejected the change were ultimately amongst those who had to lose their jobs.

It’s important to understand that the year 2020 did bring hardships but the opportunities and the change that it brought was for the better.

The people who have managed to battle through 2020 are those who understood the importance of the Gig Economy. Despite having studies or full-time jobs, they always had a source of side-income on which they could rely on. Through this side-income, they were able to sustain through the hard days when their organizations were brought to a standstill.

As per a survey conducted by Payoneer and later on covered by Airschool,  75% Pakistanis are going freelance due to income satisfaction. With platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, if you are skilled at a particular segment, you can sign up on the platforms and start offering your services.

Like every other job or business that you might do, freelancing is also tough at the beginning but consistency is the key. You have access to a diverse range of employers from around the world who need help at a variety of tasks which aren’t dependent on your degree, they are dependent on the skillset you have.

How can you get started right now?

Learn and perfect a skill

The first and foremost step is that you need to identify a skill that you love and become perfect in it. For example, you may want to go into Data Science or analytics, you can start off by taking this course on modern data analytics and after you have a bit of knowledge, you can take up projects from Kaggle and build them in your free time to perfect your knowledge in this domain. You can also participate in competitions on Kaggle to enhance your knowledge even more and even win prizes if you are successful.

Sign up on 1 or 2 freelancing sites

The second thing to do is that you need to sign up on freelancing sites like Upwork or Fiverr. The key thing to success on Upwork is the proposal that you will craft for each client job whereas, on Fiverr, it’s more or less dependent on SEO unless you go for buyer requests. You can learn how to become a Fiverr Pro by taking this course here and start working on creating your profile and getting buyers!

Remain consistent!

To be successful in freelancing, you need to be consistent and patient. In my personal experience, I got 3 to 4 conversions on Upwork after I had sent 70+ proposals to a variety of clients whereas, on Fiverr, it took me a month or so to get my first $100 order. The journey is different for everyone, but one thing is for sure, if you remain consistent, it will be highly rewarding for you.

With that being said, are you going to start your freelance career?