How Do I become A Freelancer and What Should I Expect?

I'm sure that you're already aware that you can earn a lot in a freelancing career, you're your own boss and you work at your own phase. You probably hear it from other freelancers or mostly, you probably read things about freelancing on social media.

Two years ago, I felt thrilled and giddy upon reading that kind of post on social media until I experience freelancing myself. That information was not fake news, but in freelancing, there are downsides that you should be aware of.

I’ve been working as a freelance writer full-time for two years now and although it’s just a short amount of time, I gained so much experience in the freelancing industry. I’m not writing this article to scare, demotivate and bash the freelancing. I enjoyed freelancing personally, but at the same time, it’s kind of stressful.

This is exactly why I’m writing this article. I wanted to share my freelancing experiences with you so you could have an idea about the things you should remember.

Now, let’s cut to the chase.

1. SCAMMERS!

Scam! Scam! Scammer everywhere! Whether it’ll be on Facebook or even Upwork, scammers are there to try to scam and take advantage of those freelancers who needed to take gigs so badly.

Yes, even in Upwork, there are scammers. I’ve been working as a full-time freelancer and once, I almost got scammed when I was offering a drawing gig but when I noticed that something was off and started researching for the email address he provided, I realized that I was talking to a scammer.

Phew.

That was a close call. Another reason why I became suspicious was that he offered too high. Higher than the value of his request. Something’s that too good to be trusted is not always legit. In full-time work, there are also scammers. But in a freelancing career, it’s a different level and number of scammers because as I said, scammers take advantage of people who are desperate to find a gig so they could get an income.

2. UNSTABLE INCOME

Unlike when you’re working full-time, you have to expect an unstable income when doing freelance gigs. There are times that you’d find so many clients and work for them at the same time, while there are times that you find nothing at all. Ugh, frustrating. That’s why I always make sure that I have an extra source of income.

It’s possible that you can pay your bills by freelancing, but it’s not enough. In my personal experience, that is. Before I jumped into freelancing, I’d already thought of that and was aware of that fact.

I still did, anyway.

I didn’t regret it a bit but since it’s barely paying the bills, I thought that it was time for me to go back to duty as a full-time employee.

3. SOME CLIENTS GHOST YOU

Because I said, “some”, not all clients ghost their freelancer. Thankfully, my former clients were all professional and never left me hanging. You’d find some clients who would just pay you and then vanish just like that. Some didn’t respond at all. Some clients vanish without ending the contract.

How did I know about that if I haven’t experienced it yet?

*Whispers* I checked the freelancers’ reviews about their clients and vice-versa.

Anyway, I’m thankful that none of my clients ghosted me. But I’ve got clients who asked for my portfolio etc. and then never get back to me. Every time that happens, obviously, I’ve been rejected by them and they probably moved on to a more suitable candidate.

4. TIMEZONE

Lots of clients contacted me when I’m already in my dreamland that’s why I couldn’t give a prompt response. Clients want prompt responses and transactions even whether you’re an experienced freelancer or not. They want to get the job done ASAP, especially the urgent one.

Unless you have the same timezone as the clients reaching out to you, you’ll be able to respond quickly to them and get the job done faster. I am an Asian and I live in Asia. I usually get clients from China.

I got some from other countries out of Asia, but we really didn’t work out due to the differences in our time zones. I can adjust, of course. But in the end, they end up not replying anymore at all even before the contract starts.

5. THEY WANT THE NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKER

Most of the clients look for a native English speaker. So if you are not a native-English speaker, you’re going to have a hard time applying for their gig. Unless you were able to prove to them that you can also be as good as those native speakers so don’t be glum easily because you can still find a client that doesn’t require native English. I’m just saying that most of them.

So, are you an aspiring freelancer who finally decided to jump into your freelancing career?

Then, let me share with you how I got my very first gig with zero experience using my pitch and the portfolio I created. I shared a TikTok video of me telling about it. I could link it here, but I explained it in Filipino so I'll just write one in English.

Best of luck to your freelancing career!