A few years back there was this hype; become a freelancer and you can earn millions sitting at home. Even today sometimes you hear such mythical stories and they make you wonder.

While it is indeed true that there are freelancers who are doing more than well and earning a respectable amount, most people tend to forget that there is another side to this particular coin. 

Rarely people talk about how it is like to start as a freelancer and the struggles that come with it. 

Skill issues

Being a freelancer means that you probably had to pick a field in which you wanted to offer your services. And each field requires a special set of skills, skills that one need to cultivate through studying, training and practising. 

There is no easy way around it and while you may see eye catching advertisements that say: “Become a freelancer by doing this course in just one month”, I hate to break it to you, it’s often not the case. One month’s worth of training might be good for the basics but that is often not enough to develop the skills required to survive in the marketplace. 

Poor pricing

A major issue in the freelancing marketplace is the issue of quotations and pricing. While a beginner freelancer might think that since they still lack skills, they should charge less and learn through work, there are many others who are offering services at a very low price. Constantly. This makes the market very unwelcoming for the new comers. This is a major issue that plagues even the veterans; no wonder a newcomer will struggle. 

Difficulty finding job

While poor pricing looms as a dark cloud over the head of the beginners, another larger issue makes sure their struggles do not get any easier. And that is of course- the lack of jobs for beginners. 

Sure, there are hundreds of contests and employers freelancing out different types of jobs but unfortunately, almost none of them welcome the newcomers. 

If it is a contest, a beginner just can not stand up to the skills of the veterans. And if it is a bidding war, the one who is freelancing out the job is just not interested in hiring a beginner because they do not have faith in their portfolio. While that is a fair judgement on their part, it sure makes things difficult for the rookies. 

Tools and gadgets

Certain types of freelancing jobs require some specialised tools or gadgets or setups. For example, while one can carry out simple graphic design jobs with just a laptop, a smoother work environment demands a PC with a higher configuration and graphics cards. In addition to that, there are gadgets such as graphics-tablets that can make the job smoother but all these are quite expensive and as a beginner, it can be a challenge to afford them. 

The juju gets you

The lack of jobs, inability to get into contact with employers, inability to afford gadgets, hostile marketplace and the knowledge that you lack in skills can take a heavy toll on your mind. When that happens, it can lead to depression, low self-estimation, lack of confidence and other similar issues. These might seem like ‘not a big deal’ but all of these can affect your work and they can drag you down a destructive road where you lose the will to work or even put in any effort. 

And in a competitive market, loss of confidence and lack of effort will cost you dearly. 

If you ask around, you might find that a lot of people tried to take freelancing as a career but it worked out for very few. Most beginners cannot take the heavy toll that the struggle extracts. 

The trick is to keep working, keep learning, keep improving and most important of all- not giving up.