Freelance career options: how you can make money by freelancing!

Does the idea of spending the day with your pesky colleagues in the suffocating environment of your office put you off? Do you drag yourself to office everyday? Well then chuck your mundane 9 to 5 job and take up freelancing – pick assignments of your choice and earn a decent income, too! Even NRIs can become freelancers.   Teaching   One of the most respected professions of all time is teaching! Fortunately teaching isn’t limited to academics nowadays. You can conduct regular workshops on any topic you specialize in – personality development, arts and craft, flower arrangement, cookery, environment awareness and social issues, Vedic mathematics and even storytelling for kids!   Multimedia   Experienced professionals in the field of multimedia, animation and commercial art are in great demand. They’re sought after by media houses, software companies, advertising agencies and companies specializing in editing, animation and web designing to work on assignment basis. Though the projects demand creativity, originality and have strict deadlines, you can expect handsome earnings.   Translators   Globalization has melted boundaries, making travel and trade between countries a daily affair. Multinational companies (MNC) that have foreign delegates visiting them regularly but for short intervals are always on the look out for multi-lingual freelancers. For those of you who have a degree or a certificate in a foreign language under your belt, translation assignments are exciting and well-paying options.   Online careers   The internet is a treasure trove of opportunities for those who want to work as freelancers without having to leave the comforts of their homes. Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) companies mushrooming everywhere are constantly on the lookout for medical, legal and business transcriptionists. The best part is that you don’t need a medical or legal background for these projects. Those who have a flair for writing can register on websites that offer creative writing and editing assignments. Coaching students across the globe online for a few hours daily is a good option for the academically inclined. Data-processing assignments like data entry and scanning, data capture and abstraction, are also good options for those willing to devote a fixed number of hours everyday.   Consultancy If you’ve got expertise and experience in a particular area, then you can become a freelance consultant. For example, business consultants can help startups establish and grow their businesses.  The idiom ‘Jack of all trades’ is passé. If you specialize in more than one field, you can juggle different assignments as a freelancer and earn envious incomes!  Do you know other lucrative freelancing options? Do you have any tips to offer someone who is starting out as a freelancer? Do you think freelancing is a great option fir experienced individuals but not for freshers?