5 Online Courses Every Freelance Writer Should Consider
One of the best things about being a freelance writer is that you can get started without taking a single course. You’ll be able to find work, but it may not be within the pay bracket you desire.
By taking some courses, you’ll be able to charge a premium for your services and bring in clients who are willing to pay top dollar for the best freelancers available. You’ll become a more competitive candidate for big jobs and watch your career achievements burst through the roof.
- Writing Courses
Of course you’re already a great writer. You wouldn’t have your current job if you weren’t. Taking writing courses can help you explore new styles of writing, allowing you to offer more to your clients. If you focus primarily on technical writing, courses may help you develop a better conversational and engaging tone. You’ll also learn to format complicated projects for better readability, and tighten up some loose ends relating to grammatical nuances.
- Language Courses
There are clients in other countries who need their writing done in English. If you’re a fluent English speaker, this is a perfect opportunity. The only problem is that you may not know the opportunity is waiting if you don’t speak the language that their want ad was written in. By taking language courses, you’re developing the ability to work with clients across the globe. You can even take language courses online from the comfort of your home office.
- Marketing Courses
When you work for a larger company, all of the marketing efforts are the responsibility of your corporate higher-ups. When you work for yourself, all of the marketing is up to you. If you want to continue to grow and establish yourself as a freelancer, you need to be able to market yourself. Things like advertising and branding are just as important for an individual professional as they are for a large company.
- Accounting Courses
Accounting courses may not be all that fun, but they’ll teach you skills that will come in handy. When you’re self employed, you need to do all of your own bookkeeping. Taxes, budgeting, and writing off business expenses are all necessary parts of keeping your enterprise running smoothly. If this is work you ordinarily outsource, you won’t have to pay a fee for an outside professional to come in and handle things on your behalf.
- Web Design Courses
Freelance writers rely heavily on the internet to find jobs. If you don’t already have the necessary skills to build, update, and maintain your own website, it’s worth adding these skills to your personal toolbox. It’s much easier to be able to handle all of the maintenance yourself. If something goes wrong, you’ll be able to fix it immediately rather than waiting for someone else to come in and take over. If you discover that you like web design, it also happens to be a skill that people are willing to pay some serious money for. If you’re looking for a change of pace or a little variety in your workday, you can even offer simple site building and maintenance services to your writing clients.
Most of these skills are valuable in every career track. Even if you don’t intend on being a freelancer for the rest of your life, you can carry them with you through a major job change. It’s never a bad thingto improve your knowledgebase!
