In order to become rich as a self employed freelancer via the Internet, it is absolutely critical for you to develop the IA (Information Age) skills which are necessary for you to succeed. Not only must you develop these IA skills, but you must also develop skills which are highly lucrative, those which can generate at least $50,000 per year. At the same time, this isn't a hard and fast rule, if you can work over the web as a freelancer making only $25,000 to $33,000 per year, we can still show you some tips which can allow you to build enormous wealth.
Before we move further in this chapter, I would first like to provide a definition for IA skills. Information Age skills are defined as “any skills which involve the manipulation of information in return for a profit.” What this means is that a dentist does not use IA skills, because as opposed to manipulating information for a profit, they operate on the teeth of their patients. While they can apply many of the strategies discussed in this book, their skills are not classified as being IA skills.
A computer programmer, on the other hand, is the definition of an individual who has IA skills. By writing code in order to carry out a variety of different processes, they are essentially manipulating information. A freelance writer also manipulates information, since they are using words to communicate ideas to others. A graphic artist of animator manipulates information in such a way that they're able to create art for others. All these professionals are individuals who manipulate information, and are paid to do so.
The good news is that acquiring these skills are cheap, but only in a financial sense; to acquire these skills, you must have discipline and you must be willing to dedicate both time and effort. This is the part where many people fail. Another thing that I would like to point out is that the traditional college system is for the most part unequipped to help you get the skills which are necessary. The reason I say this is because, even though most colleges and universities “do” have the classes and staff to teach you the needed skills, the costs involved along with the rules of the institution often make them unattractive sources of learning.
The fact of the matter is that many people, especially in this day and age, do not have the money, time, or inclination to spend three to four years sitting in a college classroom learning the skills which are necessary to succeed. Let me state, that I am an advocate for college and a higher education, however most who enter college do so because they have been brainwashed to believe that they must go to college to get a good job. When they graduate, they are in debt and working as a bartender to pay down their debts. College is great for those who want to develop non-IA skills such as law, dentistry or neurosurgery, but they are not that good for those who need to develop IA skills within a short period of time. To get your degree in a traditional college, you are required to take specific classes geared towards your major and you must amass a specific number of credits.
This takes lots of time, and lots of money. The Ultimate Internet Freelancer is designed for those people who do not have the money, time, or inclination to go through the traditional college system in order to become educated and for those who have gone through college and realize a good opportunity is not waiting for them upon graduation. However, community colleges, which I will discuss shortly, can be great sources of learning for those who wish to become freelancers, but who prefer to learn their skills in a classroom environment. After all, most of us aren't cut out to teach ourselves things, though this book is heavily geared towards those who are.
In any event, as far as I'm concerned, the traditional college structure is not efficient when it comes to giving readers of this book the skills they need to build long term wealth. College teaches students how to be highly paid employees, without teaching them how to be leaders. Most importantly, the high costs involved with attending traditional colleges and universities are just too much for many people, especially those in lower income brackets. Just as the Internet can be used as a source to find freelance work, it can also be used as a source to develop freelance skills.