The Future Of Freelancing in 2021 and Beyond

Not sure Freelancing is for you? These Trends Might Change your Mind

Many people have come to me thinking it's too hard, too competitive, or it's too risky to not have a single full time employer.

Or maybe you are skeptical. You think you can't possibly compete with people overseas willing to work for less

If you are having any of these thoughts, the results from the UpWork 2020 Freelance Forward Study should really inspire you.

Let's dive into it.

This is an independent survey of over 6,000 workers in the United States, in a variety of industries and skills levels 

First, did you know a full 1 in 3 people in the US workforce freelanced last year?

Yes, 59 million Americans freelanced in some shape or form, earning a combined $1.2 Trillion dollars. So if you think freelancing is in some way "above you", think again.

As for the age breakdown, it may surprise you too

Though skewed towards the youngest, Gen Z (with a full 50% of people who worked in this age bracket freelancing!) 26% of boomers freelanced as well.

COVID-19? No problem

Unemployment spiked in 2020 due to COVID and still has not recovered.

This made income stability a big concern for freelancers, and was a driving factor in many peoples' decision to get started.

While conventionally, you might think a stable employer is safer, without diverse and flexible income you are powerless and completely dependent.

With freelancing on the other hand, you are in control.

Last year, the amount of people who successfully freelanced was stable compared to the year before at 36%, while tons of people lost their full time jobs.

How much can you realistically make?

This is probably the number one question aspiring freelancers ask, it's a good one.

A specific number is difficult to come up with, due to rates and hours worked being highly variable.

But apparently 1 in 5 freelancers (across all industries) makes over $100,000 per year

And 65% of freelancers end up making more than their previous full time job.

This stat surprised even me!

Usually, people are "ok" with taking a bit of a pay cut for the time and location freedom that freelancing provides, and ability to relocate to a lower cost of living area.

However imagine all the above but also making more? Wow.

Speaking of these "benefits", pay is just one piece of the puzzle of living a great life.

That's probably why 60% of freelancers said they would never return to a full time office job, for any amount of money

So how do you get started freelancing?

Well, 91% of freelancers recommend platforms like UpWork and Fiverr as great places to get started.

I call these platforms "freelancing with training wheels" (like a bicycle) because they

• take care of the marketing aspect for you (easier said than done!)
• give you a lot of structure with payments, communication and contracts etc
• allow you to filter by jobs at your skill level
• have payment protection as a service provider

Going "direct" on the other hand has a distinct set of benefits too:

• Less competition = higher rates
• No country-specific restrictions
• Unlimited pool of potential clients!

Ready to become a Freelance Developer?

Watch our 1 hour absolutely free training that gives you a step-by-step blueprint of making your first dollar freelancing.

Or, if you're serious about this and want to maximize your chances of success, join the Freemote Developer Bootcamp.