What Kind of Freelance Opportunities Are Out There?

Freelancing can be one form of home business that allows you to take advantage of your particular skills or hobbies and earn some money. It can be quite similar to having a job at times, however, as there will be someone looking at how well you do the job (to consider whether or not to use you again or recommend you to others) and you will have deadlines.

Many freelancers do not realize immediately that they are in fact a home business. It's easy to look at your freelance occupation as something that you do to earn a living, but most places do consider this a business, and as such you need to get a business license and possibly decide on a business name.

Freelancers do all kinds of work. Think about what you enjoy doing and review the possibilities in the categories below:

Writing

Freelance author
Freelance copywriter
Freelance editor
Freelance journalist
Freelance proofreader
Freelance writer

Artistic

Freelance artist
Freelance graphic artist
Freelance graphic designer
Freelance illustrator
Freelance photographer

Computer/Internet

Freelance designer
Freelance programmer
Freelance website designer
Computer consulting

Other

Freelance paralegal
Freelance medical transcription
Professional organizer

Once you know what you want to do as a freelancer, you need to build your portfolio and start finding jobs. There are some excellent resources out there.

Another alternative comes from bidding for work, in a sort of reverse auction. People looking for freelancers post a job, and freelancers tell them what they would expect to be paid in order to do that job. The trick with these kinds of boards is that you may have to bid very low in order to get any work. This is not too bad if you are just building a portfolio, but since in many cases you are competing against international freelancers who can work for less, you may not be able to earn a living from this. Elance is an excellent resource to try.

Freelance Job Boards

Craig's List - Note: Jobs are not screened

Auction-Style (traditional and reverse)

eBay
Elance
Guru

If you want more advice on the life of a consultant, ebooks can be a wonderful resource. Try Consulting 101 for starters and decide if this is the life for you. Another great resource is Freelance Contracts in 48 Hours. This ebook is great for all kinds of freelancers, and will help you find the jobs you need to succeed as a freelancer.

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