Source
r/freelanceWriters•
Lower_Reference910

Recent English grad- is it worth trying to go freelance?

I used to follow content about freelance writing reasonably often, but I haven’t had the energy to take many shots at it since working on my English degree is pretty intensive. I’ve almost finished my degree, and I’m curious: what is the availability of good paying work requiring high skill, but for recent grads?

My concentration is rhetoric and business communication, and I have a few research projects and internships under my belt. I also have interests in UX, marketing, and research, with some entry level knowledge in database management and graphic design. It would be easy to double down on one of two of those after graduation.

That said, my big concern is if it’s realistic to expect to make decent money with freelancing right now, since according to certain posts on this sub, the market is very saturated. Part of me is wondering if I should just shoot for an office job.

I live in the U.S., so unfortunately I need something that pays decently well ASAP, to pay off loans.

Pardon the copy mistakes, I’m on mobile.

Posted Apr 1, 2022, 6:45 PM UTC

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FuzzPunkMuttWriter & Editor | Expert Contributor ⋆•

You are approaching this wrong.

Can you make a living freelance writing? Sure. You'll have to work hard at it, but, like, that's everything.

Do you WANT to live that life?

There are huge pros and cons to freelancing that have little to do with the compensation aspect. Those are what you need to focus on.

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Lower_Reference910OP•

I strongly would prefer freelance writing, but my biggest concern is that it’s hard to take the temperature of Freelance market when you aren’t actively monitoring forums, and since I don’t have time to do that very often until I graduate, the current state of the market is unknowable to me. I was hoping to get some responses here that give some sort of indication of how viable it is to break into the market right now, vs get a corporate job.

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FuzzPunkMuttWriter & Editor | Expert Contributor ⋆•

It has never not been hard to break into freelancing.

Like I said, you're kinda thinking of this wrong.

You need to create your market. You need to make a name for yourself, apply, and get the jobs. They are out there. They never went anywhere, and despite what a handful of people have complained about, there are probably more writing jobs now than there were two years ago.

But the reason all those people are complaining is because they've been sold on the idea that this isn't a job. That you just lay around and occasionally write a blog post and all the cash will flow in.

Then they come here and ask where to get jobs without reading the Wiki.

What I see reading your post is that you are kinda asking those same questions. Your resolve should be "I can make this work, because this is what I want to do."

Not "Oh no, it might be hard. Better just get a job I hate."

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dgj212•

Saving this reply

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GigMistressModerator•

That you just lay around and occasionally write a blog post and all the cash will flow in.

Why y'all always dissing my life like this?

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FRELNCERContent & Copywriter•

Get a corporate job and gain some life and professional knowledge. The experience you gain will enhance your future freelance earnings potential.

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FRELNCERContent & Copywriter•

Define "high skill"

If you are highly skilled in creating the type of content business wish to purchase they won't GAF if you are recent grad or a centenarian.

They also won't care about your location or personal debt. Freelance clients hire people who solve their problems. Solve problems professionally and well and you'll be well compensated.

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monsieurpommefrites•

You sound experienced. Can you point me towards what

the type of content business wish to purchase

looks like?

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farneyb•

My professional, full-time experience after college launched my freelancing career. Because I had tangible experience in my friend, I was able to charge great rates for my work at the get-go.

Can you start freelancing directly after college? Absolutely. Will professional experience give you more credentials and act as a "proof-of-concept" for your abilities? Ohhh, yes.

I learned how to run a business and how to handle customers from my professional experience and I think that is something you would be lacking if you jumped right into after college.

My advice would be to work in a field you enjoy for 4-5 years like I did before making the jump. You will learn so much about who you are and what type of career you want that you will not learn on your own initially.

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Lower_Reference910OP•

This is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. Thank you.

My biggest concern right now is stabilizing my finances, and while freelancing is definitely my end game, it seems doubtful that it can give me financial security in the same way a standard job can, at least in my first few years of working.

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GigMistressModerator•

That is definitely true in the beginning, and if you're able to build up a buffer before you start, your experience will be much smoother--that will save you from taking on time-consuming, low-paying jobs that eat up your time and make it hard to level up just to pay the bills.

Later, though, you can likely make much more money freelancing than you would in a traditional job.

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Lower_Reference910OP•

I definitely hear you, this post has made me strongly lean towards getting an in house position in the short term while I continue building my skill set, and client list.

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farneyb•

You're right. I paid off all my debt and lowered my living expenses as much as possible before making the jump.

You might find that you drastically change what you're interested in after a few years of post-college life.

Not to mention you'll make a lot of connections and have a lot of fun if you find a company with the right culture.

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bighark•

At this stage of your career, you're much better off finding a full-time job where you can apprentice under a seasoned writer/editor and get paid a decent wage.

Freelancing is hard for everybody, but it's especially hard when you're first starting out. Get something you can depend on for a few years. Freelancing will be around later if you want to give it a shot.

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GigMistressModerator•

"The market" is misleading. There are hundreds of thousands of freelance writers--perhaps millions. But, writers aren't widgets. There are multiple market tiers and sectors.

You mention a high skill level, but based on your post I'm assuming what that means is that you're a very good writer. That's not enough. There are a lot of good writers and, just as important, there are a lot of clients who can't tell the difference between a passable writer and a good one.

To compete in the higher-paying sector of the market, you generally have to offer something more. That may be marketing knowledge, SEO expertise, the ability to understand complex content and translate it into plain English, subject matter expertise or something else. The important thing to recognize is that in most cases the client is not hiring you to write a good article. They're hiring you to write an article that helps sell their business, and that's a whole separate skill set from writing.

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Lower_Reference910OP•

By high skill level I mean for my age, I know that comparatively, to the people on this sub who have by doing this for 15,20 years, I don’t have a high skill level.

That said, I’m consistently told by my professors that I’m a great writer, I have high grades, a lot of successful undergraduate projects, and I also believe I have a slight edge since I spent some time as both as comp-sci and graphic design student before I settled on writing, so with a little polish, I could transition into several different sub-fields. In particular, I’m interested in UX but I could probably transition into technical writing with the correct preparation. My previous major skills are basic, but enough to get me by if I don’t have to do anything technically advanced. I also have an A2 in German, which I’m working on getting to a high level.

As far as content writing is concerned, I’ve created blogs and the like for class, but I don’t see myself doing that in the long term.

Hopefully this clears up what I meant :)

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