Freelancing as a Career : What it Has to Offer

Freelancing, in plain and simple English means –“work whenever you want and however you want!” Imagine the luxury of not having a boss whose sole ambition is to make your life as difficult as possible, not having to wake up to go to office at inhumanly early hours, not having to beg for a leave to go on that long awaited vacation with your family and at the same time being able to handle family, domestic responsibilities and the likes without loosing out on financial independence! Sounds like a dream come true, does’t it? Well, thousands of people around the world live this dream and also make a living out of it and a large fraction of them are freelance writers.

Although freelance writing has not yet gained popularity at par with mainstream journalism, it has definitely grown from writing a couple of hand written articles every now and then to a booming Internet business which is providing opportunities to many people around the world who find it an extremely rewarding and satisfying field to be in.

Today, a plethora of "work from home" opportunities are available for individuals who are talented and dedicated. This profession is extremely beneficial to women in particular who are educated, ambitious but smothered with domestic responsibilities. Expressing their talent through this medium gives them a sense of pride and independence along with expanding their horizons on different topics and subjects. Any individual with an aptitude for language and original thinking can make a living from home and this applies to a lot of physically challenged people who are denied job opportunities in a conventional work environment and even if they are not, they are discriminated and may find it difficult to work efficiently in inhospitable social surroundings.

A freelance writer can adopt any genre of choice- he/she can explore areas in academic writing, creative writing, write lifestyle articles for magazines and newspapers or even specialize in writing for children! Most freelance writers associate themselves with Internet bases companies and organizations who provide them with orders on subjects and topics they are well versed with. The writer then works on the article and submits it before a pre-specified deadline. The customers and administrations response regarding the quality of work is the key element in determining the popularity and success of the writer. Although the rate of professional growth can be sky- rocketing, it can work the other way around too. Any work that lacks originality and structure can send the career graph plummeting to ground level. Therefore, consistency and sincerity are very crucial components in determining success.

Financial returns in this field are totally dependant on individual capabilities, quality of work and the time and dedication put into the same. It can be taken up as a means to earn extra pocket money or as a full time income to support a family. All kinds of professionals can take up freelance writing- students, doctors, businessmen, engineers and anybody you name under the sun.

The flexibility and control a person is entitled to, as a freelancer is unparalleled. It does not require fancy degrees from acclaimed universities or a mentor; all it takes is a flair and passion for writing, command over the language, dedication to meet deadlines and last but not the least- an Internet connection!

In summary, not every one is gifted with creativity and not everyone can befriend a pen (the keyboard in this case!). Creativity is an asset that cannot be taught or acquired; it is inherently bestowed on very few people. Therefore, anyone who believes they can do justice to a literary piece of work assigned to them within a given frame of time should definitely give it a try. Who knows, you might come out with a best seller some day!