You’re fresh out of college – or a soon-to-be graduate – and you’re wondering what to do next. You may feel pressured to get a ‘normal’ job and settle into a career other people demand of you. Except, you’re young, ambitious, desperate to travel, and even more enthusiastic to forge a career path that suits your desired lifestyle. For a go-getter like you, freelancing might well be a perfect way forward.
Freelancing affords you the opportunity to shape a working life that conforms to your personality, desired lifestyle, income goals, and creative energies. It’s something you can start right now, whether you’re still in college or in the evenings after your regular job. There are no entry barriers or intensive interviews. As long as you can provide a valuable service, then there will be people and businesses willing to pay you.
If you’re wanting to forge a career on your terms and realize your dreams, then freelancing is a path to consider.
Here are just a few more reasons why freelancing is ideal for go-getters fresh out of college:
- Shape your own destiny
For a ninja-spirited go-getter with the drive and energy for greatness, building a freelancing business is an excellent way to start your career. As an entrepreneurial-minded person, freelancing provides you with the experience of creating a business from scratch and working with a diverse range of clients. You can then build your money empire from there.
After all, freelancing needn’t be your career for life. For many successful entrepreneurs, freelance life was a stepping stone to even greater things. While working with clients, and earning money, you can begin to build your own products and plan the creation of your own company.
There are truly no limits when you let creativity, drive, passion, and determination fuel your momentum.
- You choose your income level
There are also no limits when it comes to earning potential as a freelancer. With the right mindset and outlook on business and life, you’ll see that the self-imposed limits many people put on themselves are pure illusion.
A good many freelancers settle with a certain income because they feel they can’t earn any higher or attract clients to match their fees. But this is all down to poor marketing and branding, born out of a mindset restrained by fear and what they perceive is the reality among their peers.
As a freelancer, you charge what you want to charge and if this pricing matches with your skills, talents, and expertise, you can demand much higher rates than are deemed possible by many of your colleagues. It’s all about belief and showing confidence in front of the right prospects and clients.
- Work while you travel
Travel has become a right-of-passage for youth today and your dreams of traveling the world should not be hampered by lack of funds. Freelancing provides you with the opportunity to become a digital nomad, working from wherever your passport takes you. With a laptop and an internet connection, you can run business from anywhere in the world.
Apps, tools, and integrated platforms (including our free invoicing software) help you to even work from your phone while on the go. Many freelance jobs allow you to work with clients in a different country, and even on different continents. Location is becoming ever more irrelevant.
Whether it’s waiting for a flight in an airport terminal or sipping a margarita while dipping your feet in a lake, you can write emails, send invoices, sign contracts, and watch your money rolling in, all while doing the traveling you’ve always dreamt about.
- Use your fresh degree skills in the way you want
Years of intense studying may have taken away the desire to pursue a career in the field you originally planned. It’s a common theme among graduates, who realize they want to do something else. And freelancing provides you with a solution. You can make good use of your fresh degree skills to create your own business defined only by your dreams and needs.
A disillusioned medical grad, can for example, create their own business around copywriting for medical industries or web design for pharmaceutical companies. A young business grad can set up as a freelance consultant for young entrepreneurs or startups. A fashion graduate can become a freelance stylist for the young-at-heart older woman.
- Work collaboratively with a diverse range of people
More and more young people are seeing freelancing as an ideal career path. A few years ago, a study by Elance discovered around 21% of graduates with first class honors had already decided to work as freelancers (read more). Generation Y is a freelancing generation, and this is ideal if you’re looking to collaborate on exciting projects with fellow graduates.
Some freelancing paths are perfect for collaborations with other young professionals. Internet-based services such as web design and development, branding, social media, and writing, all afford the sociable young freelancer with plenty of opportunities to work as a team, even when in a different location.
You also get to work in potentially more diverse groups, with people from different cultures, nations, and life experiences.
- The advantages of youth
Some projects are ideally suited to youthful freelancers. Many clients like to tap into the latest trends and happenings within new generations. Generation Y and the one coming after it, Generation Z, are now seen as the markets to focus on by many companies. As a recent graduate, you’ll have the generational insight many businesses will clamor to harness.
As a young freelancer, you might lack experience and even expertise, but with raw talent, a willingness to learn, determination, and precious insights into your generation, you will often beat out older and more accomplished competition in some youth-focused sectors.
- Free from redundancies and recessions
You can’t be made redundant when you’re a freelancer. No one can sack you. No one can bully you or make your life hell in a contract that’s difficult to get out of. You have the freedom to pick and choose your clients, and jettison those who become troublesome. If you’re a ninja-spirited freelancer, who has an aversion to working in an office environment, freelancing is ideal.
You can also avoid the worst of economic recessions. Even in down times, there are certain sectors, industries, and target markets that remain constant, and even thrive. Freelancing allows you to pivot during the ups and downs, so as to attract new types of clients, as and when needed.
You’re always in control.
From college to freelancing
If working in a conventional job makes you feel deflated and uninspired, then consider being a freelancer instead. As we’ve shown above, for enthusiastic young graduates, forging a freelance career might just provide you with the lifestyle of your dreams.
You can start right now. All you need is a vision, a passion, willingness to self-study, and a go-get attitude that is present in all successful entrepreneurs.
