The job market is becoming more diverse, especially in the world of freelancing. To stay competitive and match trends, freelancers constantly change their skills. But with the introduction of new technologies and changing tasks, there is a question of whether freelancers can future-proof their careers despite these challenges.
Yes. It is possible for freelancers to future-proof their careers and keep them relevant despite any potential challenges they may face. However, how can it be done? Down below are several steps on how you can make this possible:
Know What Skills Will Be Or Are In High Demand
Empower yourself to future-proof your career by understanding what skills will be or are in high demand. This knowledge will give you a sense of control and confidence, knowing that you can adapt to meet future trends.
Set The Right Goals
Before you check out the lessons you can take to learn the right skills to future-proof your career, it is best to have a clear goal in mind. Setting the right goals is crucial as it helps you focus your efforts on the skills that are most relevant to your career path. What types of software do you want to know? Are you hoping to understand how SEO works for marketing? A clear goal will enable you to tailor your learning schedule to fit your career path. You should ensure your goal is workable as it may make things difficult if they are lofty and take time to achieve.
Know The Right Learning Platforms
Once you have the right goals, it is time to research the right learning platform to help you learn the skills you need for your career. Many online learning platforms and resources can help you understand any skill, from free video clips to paid online courses. See which ones work well for your targets and look at the reviews before signing up for them. Some great examples of learning platforms you can try out are Coursera and Udemy.
Join Webinars Or Workshops
If you prefer to avoid following a classroom setting to learn new skills for your career, you can consider workshops or webinars. In these events, you will get shorter but concise lessons on critical topics while also being able to network with your fellow participants. Companies often schedule workshops or webinars that are open to everyone. You can also check out these workshops and webinars with your university’s career office.
Practice Any New Skills
As you study to learn new skills, practice what you learnt! Use previous projects that you did before and see what you can do to improve them with your new skills. For example, if you are learning new ways to market on social media, use what you learnt to make a successful marketing campaign. Once you can do small projects, slowly move to complex projects to see how far you have come with your lessons.
Network
Building your network by meeting experts and other people in your field is also best. Networking can help you find new ways to improve your craft and even new opportunities or the latest trends you need to know. Check out your social media platforms to see what online communities or events are available for you to check out. If you can’t find one, ask your professors for ideas or join these communities to begin networking!
Ask For Feedback
You can also find ways to improve your career and performance by asking for feedback. It can be hard to ask for feedback at first, but it is one good way to see if you still need to include anything in your pursuit of future-proofing your career. Ask your clients or peers if your new skills are being used well or if you still must improve.
Whether new to freelancing or have been in the industry for a while, there is still time to future-proof your career and make it your full-time gig. Use the steps above and tweak them to your career path to get you started. However, it is essential to remember that you should refrain from forcing or overloading yourself for future-proofing because you may need help to keep up with your lessons and work. Take your time as you need because the results of your future-proofing may only be visible after a while. But you will see it when you can keep up with the trends when others cannot.
Check out my step-by-step freelancing book here!
