How to freelance as a student?

Hundreds and thousands of college students struggle in terms of their finances. Not to mention, a vast majority of students rely on student loans to bear expenses of their education. Undoubtedly, such students are under constant financial stress, which ultimately restricts the quality of their life and their academic performance.

Maybe you are a student who has gained industry experience by doing un-paid internships and go through each semester thinking about saving money. This is how most students bear mental torture in their life. Fret not! Your student life does not need to be stressful. Freelancing is the most viable option for students to earn passive income to bear their expenses on their own while making most of their knowledge and expertise.

All you need is a little bit of determination and consistent efforts. You can offer freelancing services in diverse fields that you are expert in such as Content Writing, Web and Graphic Design, App Development, Marketing, Event Planning, Data Entry, Photography, Tutoring, Animation and many more.

Needless to say, the benefits of freelancing are countless. Not only that you upgrade your skills, but with the right client/project, you can also make a decent amount of money. In this post, we have brought you some important tips on how to freelance as a student. Pay attention!

Know your strengths

What you love doing the most could be your strength, and you can consider your strength as your key skill. For example, if you study media sciences, and love the animation course, you can view animation as your skill and start giving services in this area. However, your freelance business can also run outside your studies. Make sure you identify your skills before starting any freelance venture.

Get hands-on a professional website

A website is not only for giant companies or agencies but for you as well. A professional site can work as your portfolio, and you must own one to showcase your skills and expertise to your potential clients. Internet is filled with DIY-website builders like Wix.com, WordPress and Squarespace. You can use these platforms to build your own website. You can also hire a freelancer friend or fellow to develop a website for you. If you want your website to work as your portfolio, you should list your best work, most prominent clients, ratings and something interesting about your work like your USP (Unique Selling Point).

Time management

As a part-time freelancer and full-time student, it’s vital to manage your time effectively. While creating passive income from different freelancing options, keep in mind that you need to attend your lectures. Hold onto your exams and coursework deadline. Make sure to spend some fun time with your friends too while transitioning between work and studies. Prioritize your studies while working out which time you can realistically dedicate to the freelancing. Stick to your routine rigidly and make the most out of your time.

Networking

The opposite of not working is networking. The faster you make your clients or fellow freelancers your friend, the more comfortable you’ll be in finding work. Regardless of living in a digital era, “word of mouth” (WOM) is the most effective and cheapest advertising technique for promoting your work. Try to build a presence on social media networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s better to connect with the freelancing community to expand your resource pool with diverse and talented freelance.

Know how to get paid

As a student freelancer, it’s difficult to know how much to charge from clients. There are different ways to set your work rate; however, you decide your worth in freelancing. After little trial and error, get your pricing right and stick to it. A client may try to negotiate you down, but if you have already set your worth, stay strong about it.

Wrap-up

For a student, freelancing is a fantastic way to develop confidence, experience and skills with part time earning. Remember to focus on your studies first, then mental health and fun activities to freshen up your mind.

Remember, “First Learn then remove L”. Have a successful freelance career!