One of the greatest hurdles that full-time job-seekers come across is the lack of necessary or adequate skills, education, or even the required experience. It is for this reason that most of these job-seekers turn to freelancing. One of the freelancing industry’s greatest advantage is that in most cases, no one will ask you for your degree (or lack thereof). You do not need to have gone to college or acquired a degree in order to earn. Most of the time, all a person needs is a skill. Mastery of that skill, however, is what will set you apart from the other freelance workers.
Going into this industry, you need to make sure that you have skills that are enough to do certain jobs better than the competition. And this presents a unique challenge: how to improve one’s skills without necessarily having to go to school. Here are some of the ways a freelance worker can acquire new skills without going to school.
Capitalizing on Related Fields
If you're a freelance worker who's good at writing articles for blogs and website content, acquiring other extra skills in the field of writing, like product descriptions or reviews, shouldn't be that difficult. This is because they all require a similar skill set, which is writing. Researching and learning how to do them can help and will definitely take a short time. Once a freelancer has mastered those additional skills, they should add it to their portfolio and skill set so that they can increase their chances of landing more jobs and making more money.
Volunteering
Volunteering on projects is one of the fastest and most effective ways to learn new skills, as it allows you to gain experience while polishing your existing skills. A lot of freelancers have made the mistake of overlooking volunteer work. It's likely because these jobs don’t usually pay, or if they do, it is very minimal. Someone has to start somewhere, though, so looking at volunteer work as a stepping stone and a learning experience can help you improve. Most volunteer projects are just for charity, and getting involved will introduce you to new skills, like photography, as well as event and project management. These newly acquired skills will ultimately help you expand your client base as a freelancer.
Mentorship Programs
A freelancer can also learn new skills by joining a mentorship program or reaching out to an expert (that they know) in a certain field and asking them whether they are available to provide guidance. Learning from the best is a great way to acquire new skills faster, since the process involves a more personal touch.
Networking and Joining Groups
Meeting and socializing with other freelancers in different fields is another way to acquire new skills. Meetings and forums like business conferences, workshops, seminars or other social events provide a chance for people to socialize, make friends, and gain more contacts. Joining special business groups that meet regularly gives freelancers a chance to learn new skills from each other. This goes a long way towards building their client base and increasing their potential income sources.
Research
A freelancer can also take the initiative to research on a certain skill that they are interested in improving. Some sources that you can use are all on the Internet, in the form of informational websites, ebooks, and webinars.
With the right focus and hard work, a freelancer can acquire new skills by applying these tips.
