Being self-employed is appealing in and of itself. The independence, autonomy, and flexibility this model provides simply cannot be matched by working for a company. However, not everyone wants to build their own business from scratch—rather, they find the perfect balance within freelancing. You probably have a friend or at least know someone who knows someone in this very situation. According to Medium, nearly 47% of workers worldwide are freelancers, with 78% of companies employing them remotely. But how does it work? And most importantly, how to start freelancing as a career? What are the best freelancing skills out there? Let’s explore.
What is freelancing today?
In simple terms, freelancing is selling your skills to one or more clients without the constraints of a full-time contract. Instead, you engage in short-term contracts and negotiate everything from payments to schedules. You do your taxes, choose your work location, and set your preferred hours.
For a while, people working in the digital space treated freelancing as a bonus, doing it outside their regular full-time jobs to earn extra income. While that still counts, this model’s rise in popularity after the pandemic led to many workers freelancing exclusively. Digital nomads, for instance, turn it into a lifestyle: they travel and work at the same time. Naturally, being able to do that takes time—we all have to start somewhere. But how do you start freelancing with no experience?
How to start freelancing without prior experience
For someone new to this kind of work model, websites like Upwork and Fiverr are probably the easiest way to kickstart a freelance career. They allow you to create an account and look for opportunities that match your skills.
The ideal scenario is having a CV, some certifications, and a portfolio for clients to browse through as they check your application. If you’re already working in a field where you have all of that, it should only be a matter of time until you get your first freelance job. But if you don’t, you should first look at freelancing skills you can develop, and that begs the question—what are the best freelancing skills for beginners?
While we cannot say what is best for you, we can offer you a list of skills that are currently in demand.
Top freelancing skills to learn, starting now
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of optimizing websites to maximize organic traffic. In other words, if you do SEO, you make sure that a website will reach as many of its target users as possible by ranking high on Google searches. It’s no wonder that this is one of the most important and well-paid fields in the world of digital marketing—and it so happens that many companies seek freelancers instead of or in addition to full-time employees.
If you already have a background in marketing or advertising, SEO might be right up your alley. You can always get started by watching YouTube videos, but for a certification you may add to your CV, Coursera is a great, affordable option. Not to mention that Google offers an up-to-date guide as well.
Data Science
Information is power, so naturally, data science ranks high when it comes to in-demand digital space skills. Data scientists are one step above data analysts, meaning they work with raw data, often developing tools and designing algorithms that help them obtain and process said data.
If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is—generally, you would be expected to have a BSc or MSc in Computer Science or a related field to work as a data scientist. However, that is not always necessary, especially since accredited certifications are available on various online platforms. You can check out Coursera and DataCamp but also Harvard University which offers multiple options via edX, some of which are free.
AI Services
According to Exploding Topics, 35% of companies were already using AI in 2024, while 50% were looking to implement this kind of technology in the future. This surge in demand makes AI services one of the top freelancing skills to acquire today.
As an AI consultant, you could help businesses use this booming technology efficiently and ethically, as well as earn yourself a reliable income. If you already have a background in artificial intelligence and machine learning, this job is a perfect fit for you. If you don’t, but are interested in the field, Coursera may once again come to the rescue.
Project Management
Working as a project manager sounds like the kind of job you can only do in-house. However, you’d be surprised how many companies outsource this service. Being able to organize and lead projects, as well as ensure their success in due time, is an invaluable skill—in fact, it’s one of the best skills to have for freelancing. You may want to check out this professional certificate for Google Project Management or see what the Project Management Institute offers.
Web Development
Web development has long been a freelancing favorite, and for good reason. Every business needs a website, and making one is famously easy to do remotely. That is not to say the work itself is easy—quite the opposite; it’s one of those jobs where you need a well-balanced combination of hard and soft skills. You need to be able to handle everything technical about the website and communicate it, too, so you and the client can be on the same page. And not only that.
It’s important to point out that there are different paths you can take once you decide to try out web development. You can do front-end, back-end, or full-stack and learn different tools and programming languages. If you’re creative, you may want to look at UI/UX design, too. The options are quite overwhelming, so rather than signing up for a random course, it’s best to start by talking to someone in the industry and doing research thorough enough to decide what specialty suits you best. Whether all this effort is worth it is yours to decide. What we can tell you is that according to LinkedIn, the hourly rate for freelance web developers is anywhere between $30 to $100 depending on the experience level.
Photography and Videography
Few things are as important to a brand as its image, which is why businesses big and small are always on the hunt for talented photographers and videographers. And if they can hire such workers project-based and remotely, it’s even better! Now, photography and videography are among the more time-consuming and expensive freelancing skills to learn, as well as the more competitive of markets. You will need equipment, plenty of creativity, and a portfolio that shows your vision. As for courses, you can try the free options on Cousera, test a Skillshare subscription, or go the extra mile with something like Digital Photography School.
Copywriting and Editing
You’d think that in the age of Generative AI, written content should be covered. It’s not, or at least not yet. Tools such as ChatGPT show us time and time again that quality writing is human-dependent and that a company’s credibility starts with the text on its landing page.
If you’re interested in writing and advertising, the field of copywriting offers a potentially profitable and accessible career option. Unlike other creative fields, copywriting and editing only require a computer and the internet in the way of equipment. You can find copywriting courses everywhere online, including on Skillshare.
Summing Up
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of valuable freelancing skills, it should be enough to point you in the right direction. Also, it’s important to clarify that skills are just part of the story when it comes to thriving in your freelancing career. You will need to properly dose your effort, figure out your equipment, and organize your time and space in such a way as to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Doing all that simultaneously can be overwhelming but for once, there is a shortcut: WeWork All Access. This solution allows you to keep all the benefits of in-office work while enjoying the flexibility you wanted in the first place. The best part? Just like freelancing itself, WeWork makes it possible for you to work the way you want to, anywhere in the world!
