5 Best Paying Freelance Jobs & How To Land Them

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Today is all about freelancing, the job form that’s seeing major increases in numbers in our technological age, and seeing many entrepreneurs making a great living.

So what is freelancing,  exactly?

Freelancing is what we call it when we do work for a company that we don’t technically work for.

To be more specific (and less cryptic i suppose) freelance work is contractor work. You are technically self-employed, and file taxes thusly, but you do work for one or more businesses on a sometimes temporary, sometimes long-term basis.

Freelance jobs are many and varied. You can find freelance jobs online on sites like Fiverr and Upwork where you can search for the type of work you’re wanting to do and make contact with those that need it.

So what’s your thing? 

Are you a writer? A social media manager? Maybe you’re a web page designer? Whatever your skill there are people looking to utilize those skills, and they are willing to pay money for it.

Freelancing jobs are growing at an astounding rate as people are recognizing that they can be their own bosses, set their own hours and grow their own businesses

And yes, more often than not you can do freelance work from home.

What To Think About Before You Start A Freelance Job 

How much can you take on?

As you are your own boss, you decide your workload. Of course your income is going to be directly proportional to how much you work, but this flexibility is definitely attractive to many people.

Pick and choose your jobs

You choose exactly which jobs you’re willing to take on. Only snatch up the best freelance jobs. If something doesn’t look good to you, you can pass up on it. There’s few greater feelings in life than knowing that you ultimately choose what you are willing to do in your career.

Set your own pay

Come again? 

Yes, that’s right. While you can’t go Dr. Evil and demand (pinky on lip) one million dollars, you can set your own pay rate depending on your level of experience and expertise.

Once you build an impressive resume, your ability to make money will skyrocket. The sky’s really the limit on how much you can earn.

With all these benefits, it’s no surprise that there is such a growing craze around freelance work. 

Of course, as with everything, there are cons too.

Taxes

As a contractor and not an employee you are responsible for paying your own taxes. That means you have to be very responsible with your money. No more tax returns, instead you’ll be paying Uncle Sam come tax time.

And the more money you make, the more money you’ll pay in taxes.

Be wise and make sure you keep track of anything that can be a tax writeoff; You don’t want to pay more money than you absolutely have to.

It may even be a good idea to hire a professional to handle taxes for you.

Working from home can be problematic.

Take it from me, as great as working from home sounds it can be very difficult to maintain productivity in the comfort of your own home. 

Unless you live alone and can make an area specifically for work and nothing but, the distractions are enough to drive a man (or anyone) crazy.

People, the family, friends,and roommates that share our space tend not to respect the fact that while you’re at home, you are not available. They tend to believe you aren’t working as much or as hard because you never had to leave your house.

People are hands down one of the biggest distractions you’ll run into working from home, but they’re far from the only ones.

You know how hard it is to get up in the morning? Once you get up and going it’s usually a little better, driving to and being in a different location where you’ll be active and productive all day.

When you work from home and you get up, it’s different. You have to get up and stay up when your bed is ten feet away.

You aren’t going to be getting any benefits as a freelancer.

Being that you aren’t an employee of the company you’re doing work for, they are not responsible for offering you any benefits even if you do full-time work for them.

This means you’ll be responsible for your own health insurance, which can be costly. 

If you have a family you’re providing for, that cost will get even higher.

Banks sometimes just don’t get you.

One rather surprising side effect of making a living as a freelancer is the way banks see you.

It’s kind of funny, but after starting to make more money than I ever had before in my life, banks were suddenly becoming less willing to lend me money.

This is a phenomenon that I’ve witnessed happening for several self-employed people, even people whose income eclipses my own.

The truth of the matter is, no matter what kind of credit you have or the number in your bank account, when you are self-employed as a freelancer banks are more hesitant to loan to you.

This means if you want to buy that new Tesla or EV Hummer, you might have a hard time.

5 Best-Paying Freelance Jobs in 2020

Still interested in getting into the world of freelancing?

Well you’re far from alone there. Many would argue that pros far outweigh the cons, and many of them lead lifestyles that would suggest that they could be right. 

After all, there’s a certain satisfaction to dropping cash for a car your bank wouldn’t give you a loan for.

So with a better understanding of what freelancing is and the pros and cons thereof, let’s take a look at some of the most popular freelancing jobs.

1. Web Development / Design

As a freelance web page developer working for a larger company, you’ll enjoy the freedom of being your own boss, flexible hours, and an average salary of roughly 75,000 a year.

That’s a lot of scratch.

If your coding skills are on point, or you have the willingness to learn, this can make a comfortable career from the added comfort of your own house. 

Utilize your skills to make a very comfortable lifestyle from anywhere on Earth with an internet connection.

2. Writing

If you’ve always had a way with words or the ability to crank out essays in schools, freelance writing might be write (ha ha, puns for the win) up your alley.

As a freelance writer it would be your responsibility to gather information on project specific areas. You’ll write, edit, and proofread drafts on specific topics, depending on your clients needs. 

With several clients under your wing, and an impressive resume, you can reasonably expect to make around 63,000 dollars a year. 

Not bad, right?

Don’t expect to make it overnight, but a couple years in, you could be making very comfortable money while sitting on a beach somewhere.

3. Social Media Manager

Put that time you’ve spent mastering social media to good use!

A social media manager is basically the social media presence of a company. As such you would be the voice of the company.

That’s no small responsibility, and as such you can be expected to be paid accordingly.

In general social media managers make 40-50,000 dollars a year, making posts and generally guiding the direction of all social media accounts of the company.

4. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers handle all the graphic responsibilities of a company’s online presence.

From graphs to charts and web pages, these creatives have a variety of responsibilities. The line between graphic designer and web page developer is sometimes blurred, as they encompass many of the same skills.

Remember, though, that as a freelancer the scope of your work is ultimately up to you.

As a graphic designer, you can expect to bring in something in the range of 40-50,000 dollars.

5. Illustrator 

If you’ve got an artistic eye and the ability to create striking and eye-pleasing pieces of art, you may consider jumping into the world of freelance illustrating.

An illustrator, well, illustrates!

Not as technically demanding as graphic design, an illustrator often creates the designs and images for a multitude of mediums. Like books, posters, murals, and advertisements.

The average freelance illustrator can bring in a healthy 60,000 dollar income, so if you’ve got the goods, it can be very worthwhile to look into this as a career.

At the end of the day, is freelancing worth it?

Freelancing is the type of endeavor that can turn into what many of us consider to be a dream job, working flexible hours, making incredible pay, and enjoying a freedom that is hard to deny.

We live in an age where more and more people are starting businesses, living their best lives. Young entrepreneurs are enjoying a surge of creativity, bolstered by the tech of our time. We can reach further with our skills than ever before without ever leaving the house.

I say, let’s take advantage of the benefits our technological age has offered us.

If you have a skill that you’ve always said ‘man, I wish I could just make money doing this’ but it never seemed like such a job was in the stars, take another look.

We sometimes get caught up doing what pays the bills and let our dreams fall by the wayside; we let our skills wither as we chase the next dollar.

We as people are only limited by our creativity and drive. 

As a freelancer, you’ll be told no more often than yes. You’ll face setbacks again and again on your path to financial independence, but how much do you want it?

Spend any time on the internet and the proof is all around you that you can make it in a freelance career.

Freelancing can open locked doors for anybody with the skills and true desire to succeed in life; I’ve personally seen it time and time again.

So if you’re asking me personally if I think it’s worth it, the answer is a resounding yes. Take your skills, get out there and seize your life. 

If you want to be able to do something you love and live a life you’ll love, mastering freelancing is one of the quickest ways to accomplish this. 

So get busy living better today. Don’t wait. We can always make more money, we can never make more time.