Janja Jovanovic
September 15, 2017

The Evolving State of Freelancing [Infographic]

The Evolving State of Freelancing

Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk about how the unemployment rate, especially among young people, has gone up in the past few years.

Certain millennial traits and behaviours are part of the reason why this has happened—the worst ones have had an impact on an entire generation of people – especially if we’re talking about millennials as the main workforce. The destructive Millennial Myth describes millennials with attributes such as lazy, selfish and egocentric.

Simon Sinek (the author of “Start With Why”) even highlighted the myth and emphasized how corporate economy and millennials don’t go well together.

It doesn’t matter whether some millennials are not satisfied with work, lack loyalty, have bad work ethic, or all of the above. The myth itself has been proven inaccurate time after time in research.

Even without the research, it is very easy to conclude how inaccurate the myth actually is. What the Internet has, in fact, brought to us is an exponential growth in entrepreneurship, outsourcing and freelancing.

Workforce Adjustments and The Growth of Freelancing

Workforce readjustments had a lot of people start considering freelancing instead of working a 9-5 job. And the number of those who do so keeps growing. A huge percentage of them say that their decision didn’t occur out of necessity, but that it was a choice. They feel much better about their work when compared to traditional labour. The successful ones are working less while earning more, and they are witnesses to a higher demand for their services.

It’s no wonder why more and more millennials are looking into these new forms of work and leaving corporate life. The benefits simply outweigh the drawbacks, with one of the key reasons being having more control over their lives. Services where they can offer their skills keep on growing, with new platforms emerging all the time. It’s also worth mentioning tried and tested platforms such as Freelancer and Fiverr, both of which draw millions of users with various, unique services day after day.

Let’s face it—there are so many insecure and risky platforms on the Internet. Fortunately, more are highly beneficial for those ready to offer their skills to the world. There is a growing number of platforms for experts and professionals who want to hone their skills and knowledge, and earn money at the same time.

New Models of Freelancing

You’ve surely heard of websites that provide their visitors with entire online curriculums and lectures, e.g. Coursera, edX and MIT OpenCourseWare. Did you know, though, that there are also dozens of new ways for you to improve skills and acquire knowledge while earning money on various platforms? Zeqr, a knowledge sharing platform is an exaple of online 1-on-1 live classes. Freelancers all across the globe can use it to share their expertise or improve their skills by taking a live session with an expert in their chosen field of interest.

New work models are being presented to us on a daily basis. With a mission to help us acquire skills and knowledge while earning cash, the Internet is here to show us that there’s no need for a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Actually, it’s exactly the opposite—it’s the diversity that attracts attention. This diversity is exactly what creates opportunities for everyone and allows them to choose different, more beautiful, and more beneficial ways of being the best in their respective fields of expertise.

So, want to freelance like a king? This infographic from Zeqr will tell you why people decide to become freelancers, where they get freelance jobs, how much they earn, and a lot more.

The State of Freelancing (Infographic)

What Do You Think?

In my discussions with Janja before posting this, I said the following to her:

One aspect of freelancing that is interesting, is the way it has evolved to take in more job titles now. It has always been common within IT and more menial office jobs. Also surprisingly common in nursing, for example. But it has grown exponentially within digital marketing – a field where few can hire permanent employees. Employment laws, such as providing healthcare in the USA, have helped it grow also

I’m sure others have their own views on the state of freelancing. As always, we’d love to hear those thoughts!

 

Also read: Generation C: The ¨Tsunami¨ of Independent Entrepreneurship

 

Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_mihtiander‘ / 123RF Stock Photo

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Janja Jovanovic

Janja is a passionate Growth Hacker with an M.A. in Multimedia Communications and Public Relations. Her fields of expertise range from Marketing&Communication to Sales. She helps startups develop and execute digital marketing strategies, optimize their online presence and apply SEO strategies to maximize ROI and establish sustainable growth.

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