The struggle (can be) real!
Before you graduate, you need to start thinking about what kind of work you want to do, where you want to live, and how to get that dream job you have been preparing for! There are so many decisions to make; it can be overwhelming. Most students at AMUA either start freelancing while still in school, or plan to pursue freelancing after graduation, either as a full-time job, or on the side.
Freelancing definitely comes with certain aspects to keep in mind. But we will also show you why you should try freelancing and how to stay committed to pursuing your passions in this highly competitive industry.
One of the things to keep in mind is that freelancing won’t bring a full-time salary overnight; it is definitely something that takes time to build. Money, however, can often be a great driving force to put yourself out there, network, and land cool jobs to work your way up, get to know more people and show your skill.
In the beginning, you will spend more time working ON your business than working IN your business. After school, you’ll now have over 40 hours a week opened up to freelance! Think of how many more projects you can take on and how much time you will have to market yourself, work on your portfolio, and network.
We teach our students in our business classes to be prepared to spend time promoting yourself and your developing expertise, sometimes without pay. But the results can be so rewarding because you get to do what you truly love to do. Promoting, networking and building your portfolio will never end. That is where truly committing to freelancing comes in, and that can sometimes be difficult. Do you have it in you to keep motivating yourself every day to make networking and social media, for example, a fun part of your freelance business?
It’s important to sharpen your skills and constantly improve. The more you freelance, the more you will learn how things are done, what you should do in certain situations, and what your work style is. This is why AMUA loves it when students freelance while they are still in school with us:
- Get your foot in the door. Freelancing, and being a student at AMUA, gives you the opportunity to make contacts in many different places and show them what you’re capable of. You never know – it IS often about the connections you make in combination with the skills you have, so people will think about you when they need your expertise.
- Freelance gives you experience. If you freelance right now, and want to find a full-time job later on, freelancing will give you experience, endorsements and a network you can fall back on to show potential employers about your work, your personality and work ethic.
- You get a taste of all the options before committing. A lot of students are not quite sure what they want to do- print, television, film, theater, etc. Freelancing offers the perfect opportunity to try different projects with different people. It allows you to find what you truly love to do.
- You make money! No brainer, right?
- You have freedom. You can achieve both money and the free lifestyle that you want by choosing or continuing to freelance after graduation.
It DOES take dedication and drive to freelance. With freelancing, you always have to be on top of your game, driven to achieve your goals, and be passionate about what you do.
Let the above inspire you when you feel you’re in a rut, are having a hard time finding gigs, or need some motivation to keep on going!
P.S. Stay tuned for our next blog post on freelancing as a makeup artist or designer. We will be sharing what exactly you need to set yourself up for success!