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As we all know the pandemic of covid19 is disturbing the whole world. People all across the globe are losing their jobs and we are feeling depressed about their future and jobs as they need to survive themselves and a family to feed. This truth can’t be denied, so looking into this matter, I decided to write this article which would throw light on how to survive this problem by learning a new skill which is huge in demand and people can work remotely by working on project basis. There are a lot skills which one can learn to build a career such as copy writing, business analysis, and social media handling and so on. Today I m going to write about one such skill which is known as graphic designing. Hope this article find you in good health.

What Is Graphic Design?

When you think of graphic design, do you think of artistic advertisements? Eye-grabbing graphics on websites? Stunningly arranged spreads in magazines? While these examples certainly fit under the graphic design definition, the term encompasses a lot: posters, infographics, book covers, product labels, logos, business cards, signs, website layouts, mobile apps, software interfaces—the list goes on.

So what is graphic design, exactly? Listing these graphic design examples is a good start, but it doesn’t paint the full picture. While covering the details and intricacies of the entire graphic design field might not be possible in one article, this high-level overview will help you better understand this creative career field. If you’re at all interested in becoming a professional graphic designer, keep reading to learn the basics of the field.

Graphic design basics

To better understand the meaning of graphic design, it is important to be aware of the elements and principles that make up design. Elements are used in conjunction or opposition with each other to create visually striking and impactful designs.

These graphic design elements include:

• Color
• Form
• Line
• Shape
• Size
• Space
• Texture

Graphic designers also adhere to the principles of design, which are essentially a set of guidelines that help a design achieve effective composition. These basic principles aid in creating balance and stability for the piece of work.

These graphic design principles include:

• Balance
• Contrast
• Emphasis
• Movement
• Proportion
• Rhythm

You’ve heard the old saying that “rules are meant to be broken,” which can certainly ring true in this case. But a good graphic designer must first understand these principles before making the conscious decision to break them.

Types of graphic design

As mentioned earlier, there is no single graphic design meaning. Graphic design is composed of many fields and specializations, ranging from print and web design to animation and motion graphics. Graphic design offers opportunities and options for individuals of almost any interest.

If you’d asked someone 30 years ago to define graphic design, their answer would have likely been focused on print-related examples like magazines, movie posters and advertisements. Now we’re living in the digital age, which has given birth to several new types of graphic design.

Some of the most notable modern-day graphic design examples stem from advancements in technology. Here’s a glimpse of some of these types of graphic design:

• Website design involves creating engaging and intuitive web pages for users. This includes overall layout, color scheme and navigation.
• User experience (UX) design is focused on ensuring a website or application is easy and satisfying to use. These designers emphasize value, usability, adoptability and desirability.
• Motion graphics design—or animation—brings visual elements to life through special effects, TV shows, video games and movies.

These are the Steps which one needs to follow to become a graphic designer

Step 1. The Basics – Build Your Foundation

You’ve loved to sketch, draw and paint your entire life – and having grown up in the world of social posts, hashtags, memes, and live streams – your computer skills are excellent too. So, when the time comes to choose a career, you’ve decided that a job in graphic design is not only going to ensure a steady paycheck but also allow you to combine your gift for creativity with your computer skills

Graphic design professionals work in the commercial art industry, specifically, in advertising, marketing, and identity branding. As AIGA, the professional association for design, reports, you may find work at a specialized design firm as a member of a collaborative team, or work independently as a self-employed contractor. Graphic designers are responsible for laying out the design elements, creating concepts, and overseeing the production of all the digital, printed and visual materials for a brand.

A graphic designer works directly or indirectly for a client to create materials that align with the client’s brand, appeal to the target audience and, ultimately, please the client. An understanding of design theory, mastering specific commercial art skills, and learning industry standards should be the first objectives of all new designers who wish to set themselves apart from the amateur.

Essential Skills and Knowledge                             

• Basic Drawing
• Graphic Design Theory
• Layout and Structuring
• Fonts and Type
• User Experience
• Website Design Best Practices
• Professional Copywriting
• The Art of Critique

Learn Basic Drawing Skills

The answer about how to become a graphic designer always begins with learning basic drawing skills. Before approaching the commercial side of art, you need a basic ability to illustrate your ideas on paper. Many graphic designers begin every project with a series of “thumbnails” (small sketches that illustrate basic layouts and concepts) before turning their top selections into “roughs” (detailed layouts that illustrate the concept). They show these rough sketches to other professionals at their firm, including art directors, creative directors, and account managers, and to clients. To express your ideas concisely, you need basic drawing abilities and a practiced clarity in your sketching that allows you to express your point of view. And, later, if you work in television, designing for commercial advertising, you’ll use those drawing skills to “storyboard” your concepts – thumbnail drawings that accompany the voiceover text and art direction.

Learn Graphic Design Theory – Typography, Color Theory, & Grid Systems

Graphic design is not simply slapping a fun font and a few images into a design. Instead, good design and strong layouts can be approached in a scientific manner. You must put a lot of effort into determining the correct imagery, layout, spacing, visual structure and appropriate typography, and an appealing design. Graphic designers must consider the white space around the design elements in the layout – clients don’t like paying for empty space! – or how headers and subheads can be a consistent size while fitting the space on the page. Designers must know how color and imagery impact individuals and how to manipulate them effectively to direct users (and buyers) where you want them to look.

Learn the Basics of User Experience

A good graphic designer has to understand both the client’s brand and the brand audience to create materials that are appealing. A website, for example, must be designed in a way that visitors can navigate it easily. If user experience (UX) isn’t considered, visitors may become frustrated and quickly leave when they are unable to find the content they want.

Learn Website Design Best Practices

Users spend only a few seconds to determine if your digital ad or website holds their interest or meets their needs before deciding to explore further — or bounce. Understanding best practices for content, structure, layout and visual aids helps increase engagement time, click-through rates and visitor retention. You also need to know how to ensure quick page loading times, optimize designs for mobile and the responsive elements that personalize all aspects of the UX.

Learn Professional Copywriting

Graphic designers, especially those working as solo entrepreneurs, often need strong writing skills to ensure the client’s message is clear and appealing. Since visitors often skim content to determine if they want to spend time reading it, graphic designers frequently play the role of copywriters by writing descriptions, text blocks, headers, article titles, CTAs and even meta descriptions for brochures, point-of-sale, collateral, websites, and digital ads. Writing should be grammatically correct, concise and remain consistent with the voice of the brand in an effort to increase engagement and promote interest and visibility. If the company does not have a developed voice, then the graphic designer likely helps determine the voice best suited for the target audience of that brand.

Learn the Art of Critique

One of the hardest skills to learn is how to not only take criticism from others but critiquing your own work effectively. Graphic designers must be willing to create what the client wants. Clients, peers and even the public will criticize every part of ads and designs. Starting with the initial brainstorming process, a graphic designer has to be able to think creatively and look at every idea with a critical eye. Designers have to consider how something might be misinterpreted or how it could be improved in the smallest way.

Step 2. Master the Software

Computer design skills are vital in creating professional layouts. To become proficient, the designer needs a high degree of skill in the industry’s standard software programs, usually acquired through long hours of practice. You need to get comfortable with the software to create designs quickly and up to industry standards. Whether you are preparing images for website use or laying out a brochure for the printer, a graphic designer must know the right size, format, and dimensions for every different kind of project a client may need.

If you aren’t familiar with the programs, you won’t know your limitations or design abilities before beginning the project. Three Adobe Creative Cloud suite programs have tools (and even time-saving hot keys) that designers often learn to use without even thinking. Other programs that many designers also become proficient in include Adobe’s Dreamweaver software for digital and web design. Many professional advise designer to also learn at least some programming, using the languages of the web: CSS, HTML, or JavaScript. The more you know, the greater your chances for employment in the field.

Learn Adobe Photoshop

If you need to edit or adjust an image, Photoshop is your go-to program. Photoshop works with rasterized images that allow manipulation of individual pixels. This ability makes Photoshop suitable for photographic imagery, but not for website design, logos, fonts or any other type of graphic design work. You can use Photoshop to swap parts of images to change out a face, for example, or to insert a background or edit flaws in a photo. From healing brushes, lasso tools, feathering and burning, you need to understand and be able to use the numerous editing tools that Photoshop offers to edit images at a true professional level for your client. A good designer will not rely on stock images, since they are often generic and do not promote the brand.

Learn Adobe Illustrator

When a client needs a logo or an illustration, you will likely use Illustrator to complete the project. Illustrator works with vector art, creating lines that can be expanded in size but still not lose clarity. A logo created in Illustrator, for example, can be used on both a business card, on which it’s no large than an inch high and on a billboard, where it appears 10 feet high. Illustrator has an extremely complicated line, gradient, and coloring tools that allow the user to make complicated projects. Like Photoshop, Illustrator, created as a tool with professionals in mind, is not an intuitive program to beginners. This program does not handle raster images well and will quickly get bogged down if you try to drop photos into your design.

Learn Adobe InDesign

For projects that combine rasterized images with vector elements, you need a program that handles both effectively. InDesign effectively allows you to organize your text, create layout formats, insert image placeholders and then save the file in a format designed for professional printing. If you are creating the mechanical for a brochure layout to go to press, for example, you will save your final project into a folder that contains copies of your fonts and images as well as the design file. Because the program is essentially adding “placeholders” instead of real images, you can create a large number of pages without the program bogging down due to its size. Once you’ve learned Illustrator and Photoshop, InDesign is somewhat easier to learn, but it is still quite different from most tools and should be practiced until you gain proficiency.

Step 3. Earn a Degree in Graphic Design or Related Field

We’ve all heard stories about people throwing off the chains of a bachelor’s degree to start multi-million dollar businesses. People like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of college and went on to create companies that changed the world we live in. These stories reinforce the idea that a college education isn’t necessary – all you really need is old-fashioned grit, originality, and natural talent to succeed.

Stories like this beg the question, are those who go straight into business after high school as likely to succeed as those who pursue higher education? What do the numbers say?

The Value of a Degree

Labor stastics   show  that students who pursue a bachelor’s degree earn significantly more over the course of their career than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma. The lifetime earnings gap between college graduates and those without a degree continues to widen, as employers demand more skilled talent.

While it’s true that not every job in the design industry requires a graphic design degree, it is also true that some skills are very hard to learn on your own. A degree in graphic design from a reputable university demonstrates to clients, advertising agencies, and other employers that you are a serious professional who has put in the effort required to be successful.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

The bottom line is, there is so much for you to learn. Regardless of whether you are starting from zero or already have some experience, university education can help you develop your talent into a career. A lot of information simply isn’t available by searching google or attempting the process of trial and error. Schools provide opportunities for aspiring graphic designers to master the software, explore the history of design, practice illustrations, learn the basics of animation, and much more, all while nurturing your own personal style.

Studying graphic design in a university setting also helps you achieve other objectives, like developing the soft skills that you need to succeed at work. Skills like communication, critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork are all important attributes that are hard to develop on your own.

Step 4. Choose an Area of Specialization

Having a niche helps narrow your focus to a single area, so you can get really good at what you do. For many graphic design firms, it is important to have a solid understanding of all aspects of graphic design, but a focus sets you apart from the rest of the professionals. If you plan to work as a freelancer, you want a very specific focus so that firms or companies are eager to hire you instead of other professionals in that area.

A few popular areas of specialization include:

Logo Design

Being able to pinpoint the direction of a company and succinctly conceptualize it in a memorable logo is no easy task. Graphic designers work to create logos  that are unique but yet still express purpose and meaning to the target audience takes not only the ability to think creatively but also a deep understanding of design history combined with a lot of skill and practice. Logos have to be instantly recognizable, with the ability to be scalable for both small and large branded materials.

Web Design and Digital Design

Web and digital designs are growing quickly in importance. Today, brands without websites or digital advertising lose a lot of business. Some estimates compare the lack of a website to closing the bricks-and-mortar location for an additional day each week. Digital designers must stay current with design and technology trends. A talented graphic designer with a niche in digital and web design  must be able to understand the innate expectations of internet visitors, creating layouts and ads that are easily navigable and that function correctly.

Multimedia Design

With a wide number of formats and platforms, some graphic designers choose to focus on creating designs that work across multiple forms of media. You may prefer to focus on video and audio to help produce commercials, tutorials, and podcasts for your clients.

Step 5. Build a Stand-Out Portfolio

Your portfolio proves your skills and understanding of the industry. Your graphic design program should help you develop an impressive portfolio that helps you get a job (or internship) as soon as you graduate. You want to focus on quality over quantity, choosing your very best work to showcase to clients or potential employers. A portfolio should include a handful (often about 10 to 12 examples) of your best work that demonstrates your abilities and niche skills and interests.

Many students create mock ads, logos, and graphic design projects for fake companies or even fake projects for real companies. A student may choose an existing company’s materials and rework them for the sole purpose of displaying his or her talent in identifying and addressing the target audience. When you’ve worked in the industry or have worked on real projects as an intern, then you will likely want to include projects that demonstrate your ability to work for a real-world client. Some graphic design students volunteer their talents to organizations or local brands to work on projects for their portfolios. Others may be able to pick up graphic design projects for local companies with very small budgets that will pay an amateur rate for a project perfect for display in a portfolio.

Step 6. Start Your Career

Taking the next step may seem scary, but your education has prepared you. The key to working as a top professional is continuing your education as much as possible by being involved in the industry and staying up on the trends. Continuing to critique your own work may be the single most important factor in improving, and you will constantly want to assess the impact of your work. After graduation, you will spend a lot of time initially in perfecting your resume and portfolio as well as marketing to potential clients and applying for jobs at marketing and design firms.

Be Exceptional

Don’t settle for middle-of-the-barrel work. Keep pushing for better and better designs. You want to stand out so that you are invaluable to your clients and employer. Many graphic design artists work in agencies, but some prefer to work alone. No matter where you land, you want to stand apart so that you are not easily replaced. Amateurs and college students abound who are willing to work for low rates just to build their portfolios. You will win jobs at premium rates only by being far better at your job than the other candidates for the position.

Be Original and Stay Involved

Keep working to stay original in your approach. Become a leader in the design industry, not simply a follower. Find ways to measure results and keep improving based on methods that work better than others. Stay involved in top companies from all industries, since you never know when inspiration may hit. Join local and national design organizations and participate in them. Explore new apps, platforms, media and tools without hesitation.

Keep Learning and Embrace Change

Don’t hamper your talent by slowing to a standstill after earning your degree. Keep growing and look for new perspectives that are outside the graphic design world. Don’t allow yourself to get into an echo chamber that keeps you thinking inside the same box with assumptions you don’t even realize you hold. Allow the data to drive your direction. Keep taking classes to stay up-to-date on new techniques, practices, and tools that will become industry standards for the competing new talent. Adobe and other software makers, for example, continually provide updates to their software, so designers must stay in “student” mode their entire careers, taking classes either online or in traditional settings, or teaching themselves new tricks and tips. This is an industry in a near-constant state of flux, as new trends and technological updates emerge. A designer who wants to stay employed in the field must learn to embrace change and stay ready to learn. As noted in GDUSA (Graphic Design USA), “It’s important to always be learning when you’re in a digital career.”

Step 7. Learn Business Basics – Contracts, Marketing, & More

Finally, don’t think that graphic design is simply a technical art. Explore the basics of business, so you have a solid understanding of a company’s background and history when a client approaches you with a project. Understanding how business leaders think will help you create the kind of strategy that they can understand and appreciate. Knowing how graphic design works hand-in-hand with the marketing and sales teams allows you to be relevant and invaluable to a company. As you continue to learn and grow, play close attention to the aspects of business and marketing that affect your job and continue studying ways to provide additional business value to your clients.

On a last Sunday I received a digital message on social media from a youngster who was about to graduate from the college and was willing to take up the job to support his family financially. On reading his message completely I realized that he has interest in becoming a business analyst in a reputed company but he was unable to figure out how to become one and be a great business analyst. Then I realized that a lot of youngster would be facing the same problem and they need a proper guidance to shape up their career.

So I decided to write this article which would provide a practical guide on how to become a business analyst. In today’s world a lot of career options have evolved with the advancement of technology in each and every field. A lot of jobs such as Artificial intelligence, digital marketer, copywriter , Business analyst are now very much in demand. As this article would be focused on one particle skill therefore I decided to write about becoming a business analyst and how to shape up your career towards greater height.

Business analyst courses

There are various courses ranging from the very fundamental to the advance courses offered by various colleges and institutes. As these courses are huge in demand a lot of online education is also available on various websites such as Udemy, Coursera etc for  beginners as well as the corporate people. The fee also ranges from few bucks to thousand of rupees, thus candidate can choose as per their requirement and available budget.We are planning to launch business analyst course to fulfill the requirement.

What are the responsibility and roles of business analysts?

Business analysts are responsible for mending the gap between the IT and the business using business analytics tools to evaluate the processes, discover the requirements, and providing data-driven reports and suggestions to the executives and stakeholders. It is a practice of enabling transformation on the context of the organization by the definite solutions to bring value and help them to reach the organizational goal.

A business analyst in present time does multitasking; as per the requirement of the project, he may work as a mediator, project communicator, or connector as well. A business analyst needs to have both soft skills and hard skills. He is the person who pulls out analysis and data trends report, shares this information, and applies it to the business. It is not compulsory for business analysts to have IT background but they are required to have a basic understanding of how different system products and tools work. Sometimes, business analysts do belongs from the core IT field and are interested in moving to the hybrid role and away from their core IT jobs.

The Demand for Business Analyst

In the today’s world where the economy is changing so quickly, businesses are also reforming itself according to the economy. This has provided businesses with a smart way to tackle the business challenges. But they should know how these challenges occur.

In this technology-driven and competitive world, impressing the customer is a tough nail to crack with the traditional business solutions. You need to grow with time and learn new techniques as soon as they are introduced to the market.

In the present time, with the right business tool, you can transform the statistics and feedback in the valuable customer insights which help you to run the business better with the most effective business intelligence techniques.

There is a number of different analytics tools available in the market which help you to automate the data storage and data transformation. With right business analytics tools, it not only provides acceleration to data processing but also provides a competitive edge to the business.

According to the experts, India has become the leader in the Big Data analytics market. In the last two years, India has gathered so much success in data analytics which stats clearly prove and it has surpassed analytics two giants – China and Europe and has reached the top. There are endless opportunities available in India to choose to work as a business analyst and get success in your career.

Skills Required for Becoming a Business Analyst:

• For a business analyst, the most important skill is the problem-solving ability.

• Good communication skill with the ability to convey his message to others is also highly required as they have to communicate their ideas and plans to the team.

• The ability to do research is also highly required as the business analysts have to often research the business trends.

• Understanding the new technology is also required as this also provides ease of access to the product.

Scope for Business Analyst

Business analysts’ profiles are gaining popularity in India and worldwide and the scope is also expanding. Gaining valuable insights from data has become the top priority for every organization so they are looking for business analysts. In the exploration process, business analytics involves various things such as right business objectives, right resources, right technologies, right top management commitment, and the right business culture.

Top tier companies like IBM, TCS, WIPRO, Infosys, and many others are using business analytics tools to generate intelligent business solutions for making a larger profit. To become a successful business analyst, you should know about the job responsibilities and areas in which you need improvements. If you want to accelerate your career growth in business analytics field then you should learn about all business analytics tools and techniques that are used by the top companies around the world.

The person who understands its responsibility clearly is able to handle the complex business problems smartly. There are various private universities and colleges which offer a full-time course on business analysis for the students. If you want a specific job oriented program then there are a number of certification programs available which thoroughly teach you every topic and business analytics tactics to make you ready for the organization. The right business analysis is very important for business as it directly affects the business and provides the best solutions that are needed in the long run.

The Future Career Path of the Business Analysts

• With the data evolution, data analytics will always play an important role in security systems management and in the detection of dangerous malware program too.
• Internet of things (IoT) has been seen as the next big thing and the future of the IT industry and it will mushroom in the upcoming years. With the big data analytics capability in hand, we have the power to process the voluminous amount of structured or unstructured data collected from the IoT sensors to have a higher importance in future.
• Companies will be able to track and manage their own data wisely for financial gains and capital benefits.
• Business analytics will work with the tax system to avoid any unwanted crisis in the future.
• Data scientists’ role will come in trend soon for qualitative analysis not for the quantitative analysis as they are responsible for boosting qualitative data analysis in visual ways.
• The accuracy of the data is a primary objective for all the organizations irrespective of the size. Big data analytics is the tool which plays important role in maintaining data accuracy, transforming this data into valuable data insights.

Based on the research work and several notes, this is perfectly clear that business analyst’s demand will grow exponentially in the near future. The big data analytics market is going to show impressive advent in the upcoming years. So, choosing business analysis as a career option will be 100 percent right decision. But you need to have good communication skills, right degree, and hands-on experience in business analytics tools to lead the market.

Is there anything in the Business Analysis domain that I can help you with, just write down or message me, I’ll be happy to help you? Hope you and your family is fit and fine.

Few days back I was just sitting at my home and I was scrolling through my social media. There was a lot of content around which grabbed my attention. The worst news was about the lot of people losing their job owing to the problem the whole world facing, it was people being laid off   due to economic slowdown. Another point was that they can’t search new jobs because of lockdown. I got few in mail in my linked profile enquiring about any opportunity available at my end. Honestly speaking I had no answer to them. So I decided to write an article which would help them to be a copywriter in India to be able  start working on acquiring new skills which are high in demand in the new age technology and they can earn irrespective of their location and formal qualification. So I come up with this article which elaborates about the demand of the skill known as copywriting. So there may be a lot of question which come into your mind so I am trying to answer all your queries through this article.

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy  or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.

 Copywriters create billboard,  brochures, catalogs, jingle lyrics, magazine and newspaper advertisements, sales letters and other direct mail, scripts for television or radio commercials, taglines, white papers, social media posts, and other marketing communications.

Are copywriters in demand

Many copywriters are employed in marketing departments, advertising agencies, public relations firms, copywriting agencies, or are self-employed as freelancers, where the clients are usually small, medium, or large companies.

• Advertising agencies usually hire copywriters as part of a creative team in which they are partnered with art directors or creative directors. The copywriter writes a copy or script for an advertisement, based largely on information obtained from a client. The art director is responsible for visual aspects of the advertisement and, particularly in the case of print work, may oversee production. Either member of the team can come up with the overall idea (typically referred to as the concept) and the process of collaboration often improves the work. Some agencies specialize in servicing a particular industry or sector.
• Copywriting agencies combine copywriting with a range of editorial and associated services that may include positioning and messaging consulting, social media, search engine optimization, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, fact checking, speechwriting and page layout. Some agencies employ copywriters in-house, while others use external contractors or freelancers.

Copywriters also work in-house for retail chains, book publishers or other big firms which advertise frequently. They can also be employed to write advertorials for newspapers, magazines and broadcasters.

Some copywriters work as independent contractors or freelancers, writing for a variety of clients. They may work at a client’s office, a coworking office, a coffeehouse, or from home.

Copywriters are similar to technical writers and the careers may overlap. Broadly speaking, however, technical writing is dedicated to informing readers rather than persuading them. For example, a copywriter writes an advertisement to sell a car, while a technical writer writes the operator’s manual explaining how to use it.

Qualification needed to be a copywriter

Traditionally, the amount of education needed to become a copywriter was most often a Bachelor’s degree in English, advertising, or marketing. That is still often the case for in-house copywriters. But freelance copywriters today can learn the craft from copywriting courses or mentors. Many clients accept or even prefer examples of previous work over formal college education.

The Internet has expanded the range of copywriting opportunities to include landing pages and other web content, online advertisements, emails, blogs, social media and other forms of electronic communications.

The Internet has brought new opportunities for copywriters to learn their craft, do research and view others’ work. Clients, copywriters and art directors can more readily find each other, making freelancing a viable job option. There are also many new websites that make becoming a freelance copywriter a much more organized process.

How to become a copywriter

Step 1: Define your copy niche

Before you start looking for clients, before you start putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard?), before you do anything at all, you need to first define your niche.

This is the specific area and audience you’re going to target as a copywriter.

So first, think about what role you want to own — and there are a lot of them.

• Emails / Sales funnels
• Social media / Community management
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Blog posts / Articles
• Video / Podcast scripts

Step 2: Find your client for copywriting

Finding clients can be a little intimidating — especially when you’re new.

Luckily, once you find your first few clients, the process becomes MUCH simpler, since they’re likely to refer you to their network.

There are a lot of different ways you can find your first client. And you already have a lot of different platforms to find work as a copywriter.

One of the most popular:Upwork, a job and gig site catered toward freelancers.

Getting started with the website is simple. You simply create a freelancer profile and start applying for various projects on the site such as copywriting, SEO, social media, and more.

Step 3: Know what to charge

This is the part where most freelance copywriters get tripped up. That’s because there’s no official rate for your services.

Like many things freelancing, though, you need to remember not to worry too much about it when you’re starting out.

In fact, you can even work for FREE if you do it strategically.

Some good examples when it’s okay to work for free:

• You’re building a portfolio of work you can show to future paying clients
• You want to build connections with businesses you admire
• The person you want to work for is well-connected. And if you do a good job, they’ll connect you with other people
• You already have a full-time job so you can afford to trade time for experience

This flexibility is key to any freelance marketer starting out.

Of course, you’re going to want to eventually charge, you know, actual money.

To help, we have four different pricing models you can use to base your rates off of:

• Hourly. You set an hourly rate and a client will pay you per hour. The benefit for the client is that they mitigate their risk since they can just stop paying you whenever they want if they’re dissatisfied. It also stops the clients from piling on work without paying you.

• By project. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting paid for an entire project, with more concrete deliverables for the client. This method is nice because when you’re done with the project, you’re done. So you might end up getting paid more than your hourly rate. However, you do run the risk of the client adding more work onto the project as you move along, so communication about what a “project” entails is important.

• By retainer. Your client will pay you a set amount monthly. This allows the client to have access to you at any given time during that month. As a beginner, you’re probably not going to find a client who is willing to hire you on retainer until you’ve built up enough experience working with them. However, it’s a good goal to have and something to keep in mind as you get into freelance marketing.

• Commission/bonus. This payment model can work in conjunction with all of the other ones and can provide a healthy incentive for you to get your work done. For instance, if your client promises you a $1,000 bonus for attaining X amount of leads with your landing pages.

If you’re a beginner, I suggest you charge hourly, because most clients are going to be unsure about whether or not you’ll be able to do a good job. As such, they might not want to give you a fat project fee.

Once you’ve gotten your first three or so clients though, then you can move on to different pricing models.

Step 4: Scale

Scaling means growing your copywriting hustle to earn more and get more clients.

And the best way to do this is through referrals. These are potential clients that you get from existing clients.

When your current client refers your copywriting services to another business, that’s a referral.

They’re incredibly valuable for a few reasons:

1. You can raise your prices when you get a referral. The client who referred you has automatically added value to your work by recommending you. That means you can charge more for your work.

• You get better clients. When you charge more, you’ll start attracting high-quality clients who can afford you. They’re also much less likely to waste your time if you’re being paid top dollar. It’s a win all around.

• You can more than double your income. There are  case study from a freelance project manager who went from charging $25/hour to $75/hour just by getting a referral. This is a HUGE win.

And asking for referrals is easy — if you have the right script.

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Five years from now, over one-third of skills (35%) that are considered important in today’s workforce will have changed.

By 2020, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have brought us advanced robotics and autonomous transport, artificial intelligence and machine learning, advanced materials, biotechnology and genomics.

These developments will transform the way we live, and the way we work. Some jobs will disappear, others will grow and jobs that don’t even exist today will become commonplace. What is certain is that the future workforce will need to align its skillset to keep pace.

A new Forum report, The Future of Jobs, looks at the employment, skills and workforce strategy for the future.

The report asked chief human resources and strategy officers from leading global employers what the current shifts mean, specifically for employment, skills and recruitment across industries and geographies.

What skills will change most?

Creativity will become one of the top three skills workers will need. With the avalanche of new products, new technologies and new ways of working, workers are going to have to become more creative in order to benefit from these changes.

Robots may help us get to where we want to be faster, but they can’t be as creative as humans (yet).

Whereas negotiation and flexibility are high on the list of skills for 2015, in 2020 they will begin to drop from the top 10 as machines, using masses of data, begin to make our decisions for us.

A survey done by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software and Society shows people expect artificial intelligence machines to be part of a company’s board of directors by 2026.

Similarly, active listening, considered a core skill today, will disappear completely from the top 10. Emotional intelligence, which doesn’t feature in the top 10 today, will become one of the top skills needed by all.

Disruption in industry

The nature of the change will depend very much on the industry itself. Global media and entertainment, for example, has already seen a great deal of change in the past five years.

The financial services and investment sector, however, has yet to be radically transformed. Those working in sales and manufacturing will need new skills, such as technological literacy.

Some advances are ahead of others. Mobile internet and cloud technology are already impacting the way we work. Artificial intelligence, 3D printing and advanced materials are still in their early stages of use, but the pace of change will be fast.

Change won’t wait for us: business leaders, educators and governments all need to be proactive in up-skilling and retraining people so everyone can benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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