Whether you’re an English major looking for Christmas money between the next crunch of loan repayment cycles, or a text savvy freshman looking to expand on your waning Federal Financial Pell Grant stipend, the internet is a great place to earn as you learn. A good choice for young adults and undergraduate students (of all ages!) apt at writing is to either make your own profile on a free website or (depending upon your skill set and the strength of your qualifications) you can freelance as a writer via the web on a Freelance writing site like Elance.com, Guru.com, Helium.com etc.
Several freelance writing sites offer the budding unsigned novice writer a chance to gain real world experience in the writing field. A future novelist has the opportunity to be an editor or perhaps a professional proofreader, the possible job titles are endless on these sites because so many writing jobs require the same selective set of certifications and skills to perform services in each stage of the publishing industry. Learning to navigate the dashboards efficiently is the best way to maximize your potential earnings. Each profile you set up is the ideal place to showcase your education and current qualifications for potential jobs and employers. It is in their profiles that users are able to operate as 1099 tax form required contractors or as “free agents”.
Actual site services vary from site to site and offer a scope and range of jobs as well as access to clients (through proposal bids) that are free once you fully register. While the opportunity to bid on proposals and communicate with clients also varies depending upon the site, Elance.com also has a free basic service with 40 free bids for possible jobs. Certification tests and identity verification protocol are pricey so be prepared to pay for the possibility of working. Subscription services are offered on a monthly/yearly basis and vary depending upon the site.
Another advantage to paying for membership subscription services is direct access to clients through email and the number of proposals you are able to submit per month increases (depending upon the site). I have had personal success using all three, including Guru.com but there are drawbacks with these sites: they are highly competitive and require patience, diligence and regular updating to remain current for the latest and highest rankings. They also require setting up a Paypal account in most cases, (in order to receive payments) for services rendered once you have successfully won a bid. This is the best way to avoid scam artists and bid competitively against other freelancers to get real money (securely!) with a trusted third party facilitator.
If you too have a tendency to be lengthy in your Facebook status updates, or are the expert about your favorite television shows or movies, why not consider writing a full researched article on the subject? It’s not only an exceptional opportunity to grow as writer, it’s also a great way to get feedback from a respected group of editors who are knowledgeable about the writing field! Click here to learn more on how to become a Yahoo! contributor like yours truly!
For more on freelance writing sites that pay, visit these links;
https://www.elance.com/q/about-elance
http://www.guru.com/
http://www.helium.com/
(this is an honest unpaid analysis of the pros and cons of freelance websites I have researched and belong to; for fellow writers, students, professionals who are interested in breaking into the professional field of writing)
