You will not succeed as an Internet freelancer if you fail to pick the right skills; a failure to pick the proper area to gain skills in is a leading cause of failure among many freelancers. Below are some hard and fast rules to keep in mind when determining which area you want to become a freelancer in:
- Every area has pros and cons. No trade is perfect.
- It must be a skill that is Information Age, meaning you get paid to manipulate information.
- Never pick a skill simply because it has a high salary. Always pick skills you love.
- Always pick an area you have a natural talent for.
If you follow the guidelines above, you should be well on your way to picking a skill which is both lucrative and fun at the same time. While we don't recommend picking a skill purely based on the amount of money you will generate by doing it, we also don't recommend picking a trade that pays you poorly. To become a successful freelancer, your goal must be to develop a skill you enjoy doing, but one which also offers a competitive annual salary at the same time.
One point that I want to drive home in this chapter is that skills that are extremely challenging tend to pay higher salaries, while skills which are relatively easy tend to pay lower salaries by comparison. Many people shy away from areas that require a lot of math or logic, but these are the areas that often pay competitive salaries. Because many people find them to be boring, as well as challenging, they often command high salaries. In general, humans are either left or right brain, and sometimes a combination of the two. If you're the type of person who is good with numbers, who found math to be easy in grade school, it would probably be best for you to go into an area that requires a lot of math or logic.
However, make sure that this actually interests you, as we stated above, never pick a skill simply because it pays a lot of money. There are a tremendous number of freelance jobs that can be found on the web for those who are gifted with numbers, and many of these jobs will involve programming. Computer programming is a very broad field; there are hundreds of programming languages. The wise freelancer who is good with numbers would look to become skilled in a programming language which is high in demand, one that pays an above average salary.
If you're more oriented to artistic endeavors, there is also a large and expanding world which awaits you on the Internet. As I said in the last chapter, the Internet is one of the fastest growing market places in the world, and regardless of whether the economy is expanding or contracting, there is a need and demand for high quality entertainment. If you don't believe this, check out some of the movies that have been box office hits this year and see how much they generated in their first weekend. There is always a huge demand for talented illustrators, 3D modelers, animators, and texture mappers. Many small, independent video game companies are being developed on the Internet, and these companies need programmers and artists in order to bring their ideas to life. What may surprise you is that many of these companies don't require a degree, but they do require experience and an established portfolio.
At this point, you must decide which side of your brain you're the most oriented towards, the left or right. If you are an artist by nature, and you like art, then it would be wise for you to go into an area that involves art. If you're a numbers person, and you have a natural affinity towards math and logic, then you should become a freelancer in an area that involves this. If you're one of those rare folks who have the best of both worlds, then do whatever you want. Whatever you do, make sure it makes lots of money and be sure to enjoy it, because you will be doing it for a while.
At the same time, it isn't enough to simply pick a field, learn the skills necessary to thrive in it, and then look for work. The wise thing to do first is to conduct a great deal of research on the field and industry associated with it to determine the career outlook. The last thing you want to do is waste time and money becoming educated in a field that is too competitive, or a field that is in decline. Once you decide the area you're interested in becoming skilled in, I would recommend doing research on the web to find out the average salary you will earn in this field.
This is important for two reasons. First, it gives you a good idea of how much you can expect to make, both at the entry and advanced levels, and second, it can help you set your prices when negotiating with clients. You don't want to be underpaid, but at the same time, you must be competitive. I would suggest researching other freelancers in your field (your competition), in order to get an idea of their rates and how they operate. This can provide you with the data that you will need to compete effectively when establishing your business.
If you have discipline and don't mind teaching yourself a skill, then the Internet is a wonderful place, simply because it provides all the tools necessary for autodidacts. However, if you're the type of person who needs classroom instruction, then there is nothing wrong with this, provided you don't spend too much money. The problem with most universities is that they will require you to pick a major and take a lot of classes, many of which aren't important to you and won't interest you. These core requirements are generally required because the university wants to drain you of as much money as possible.
Therefore, the wisest course of action is to focus on using community colleges. These colleges have enormous advantages over traditional universities. While commonly seen as cheaper versions of universities by some, these institutions are wonderful sources of learning. The cost of attending a class at a local community college is often a fraction of what you would pay at a university, even a state university. Community colleges often tend to be less strict when it comes to majors and course requirements, meaning they won't force you to take an entire major just because you wish to take one class related to your skills.
For instance, if you decided you wanted to become a freelance Java programmer, you could go to your local community college and pick classes which are specifically related to Java programming. If these local colleges don't have classes, there are other options, but you may be forced to learn on your own or take a home study course if the local community colleges don’t offer the classes you need. The good news is that many community colleges are highly versatile and offer a variety of classes related to many IA skills. When people first encounter the idea of becoming a self employed freelancer, they often wonder what field they should go into. Unfortunately, that is beyond the scope of this book. Our job is to show you the ways in which you can become a freelancer without spending a lot of money. There is no limit to what you can do, fields are constantly evolving; what is making lots of money today might not be so hot ten years down the road. In writing this book, we wanted to write a book that would not become dated six months after its release, so we stay away from giving specific advice on fields to enter.
However, what we will tell you is that the Internet will continue to evolve, and as the web evolves, the freelance industry will evolve with it. Having said that, it is absolutely critical for you to keep up with these changes in technology, so that your skills may remain on the cutting edge. In fact, as your income from your freelance work continues to grow, it might not be a bad idea to take short classes every year or so where you can be updated on the latest trends in your industry. As we like to say, a freelancer who updates their skills constantly is a successful freelancer.
In addition to purchasing books, depending on the field you become a freelancer in, it will often be necessary for you to purchase software. Depending on the field, this software may be highly expensive. This is particularly true when it comes to fields such as computer animation, where software packages can range from the hundreds to thousands of dollars. If you're just starting out, there is a good chance that you don't have the money for them. Once again, the Internet can be a great place to find the software you need, but you must be aware of the legal ramifications of getting software. We would advocate avoiding the usage of any software which is pirated.
An immense benefit about the Internet is that you can often find open source software, that is, software created for the sole purpose of being distributed without you having to pay for it. No matter what field you need software for, more than likely, there is an open sourced version of it available free of charge. To give you an example of this, lets use the 3D animation industry as an example. If you've even passively studied or read about computer animation, you're probably familiar with the two biggest software programs used by leading animators around the world, 3D Studio Max, and Maya.
These are production level software programs that are used by Hollywood studios, and their price tags show it; a brand new copy of 3DS Max will set you back $3,500, and Maya is priced above $7,000, making it one of the most expensive software programs in the world. If you're like most people, and you want to become a freelancer in computer animation, but you don't have the money to purchase either of these software programs, as an alternative, you could use an open source program called Blender www.blender.org. This is an open sourced, free 3D program that is reported to have been used in a Spider Man movie.
Open sourced is the best option for those who don't have the cash to purchase software. At the end of the day, the software that you use is less important than the end results you can achieve with it. Always keep this in mind, regardless of the field you choose, relying too heavily on software is always a grave mistake.