by Cody Hodge

Created on: October 07, 2009

Why in the world would you ever want to become a freelance writer? A few years ago I would have asked that exact same question. I was a soon-to-be college grad, and I was thinking about ways that I could make money in the field of writing. I e-mailed a contact of mine about possibly just freelancing for awhile. He wrote me back saying it was a terrible idea, and that I would make no money doing it. So I took him at his word for the time being, and just looked for other work.

Fast forward to 2008, and the worst recession of the 21st century, and the worst downturn since the Great Depression. All of a sudden becoming a writer was something that a lot of people were doing. Newspapers were talking about how so many people were going into freelancing, and how it was becoming not only a safe field, but a rapidly growing one as well.

The reason for this is simple, and that industry today is based heavily on the Internet. The audience that lives on the Internet is largely using it for research purposes, and other information gathering needs. This means that the writing that needs to be going on-line will be slanted largely toward information based pieces. You have some expertise right? We all do, and that is why freelancing is such a great call for a new career.

Sure, the pay might be low, but there are other perks. You get to set your own schedule, and live your life around your writing, and your writing can rotate around your life. If you want to work in the afternoon, you can work in the afternoon. If you want to work in the middle of the night, you can work in the middle of the night. There are no time limitations, and there are rarely any deadlines.

For some sites like Helium, you can even gain more exposure if you are professional in certain fields. If you are a doctor, or a lawyer, you can get special badges recognizing your special brand of expertise. This can lead to more work in the future as people see you are a trained professional in the field that you are writing about.

Being a freelancer takes work, and it takes a special kind of dedication. However, if you are willing to put the time in, and put the work in, you should find that it is a very rewarding career. It takes time to make a lot of money, but it is out there if you are good enough. Just work hard, believe in yourself, and don't give up. It is well worth considering as a career.

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