Is is possible to rely on online income solely?
By waleeds
@waleeds (126)
January 3, 2013 9:31pm CST
My question is whether is it possible to take online profession (especially freelance writing) on a full-time basis, or just as a way to make side income, supplementing your full-time job. As you know it is hard to become freelance blog writer or magazine writer or simply content writer in the beginning, but i have come across many (in fact so many) writers that are living decently solely on online income and they usually say about freelance writing, "It's usually fun and rewarding, and worth the effort". Can anyone here tell me precisely as to how long can a person live with the freelance online income? I want to take this as my only profession as i am really interesting in writing not only online but offline. The cool thing about freelancing is that you can do it from any place, any time, any day and above all, you don't have to wear a coat-and-tie for it.
Thanks
waleed
3 people like this
9 responses
@youless (112481)
• Guangzhou, China
11 Jan 13
That's not possible for me to make a living by my online earning. Since my online earning is pretty low. I just do it for fun. As it is too difficult to find the honest earning website. Most of them are scams. Even if you can find some reliable online earning websites, usually they don't pay so much.
@ladyeaglefeather (228)
• United States
19 Jan 13
Anything is possible, it's like anything else. You have to put the time and effort into it. It takes time like with anything else. I do believe, that you can make a living at it. You just have to work hard. Freelancing is a bit different. I don't just write online, I also write for magazines. Good luck
@waleeds (126)
•
11 Jan 13
Well, of course if your online earnings online are too low then you cannot single out it. it's true that not many websites are offering honest earnings platforms but there are quite a few of my friends who are solely counting on their online income. thanks for commenting.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
4 Jan 13
I do think that it is very possible to rely solely on online income. But (and this is a big but) I don't think that you are able to rely on online income right off the bat. What I mean with this is that you cannot just decide today that you are going to give up your job and start working online and expect to maintain your same lifestyle. I think that it takes time to work up to that point.
For example, with online writing, you really are not going to earn very much at all when you first start out but once you've built up a portfolio and you are earning residual earnings, you will see that you are earning more and more every month.
For me, I'm not nearly at the point that I can replace a full time income with online work. However, I am actually a stay at home mother so my income that I make off the computer is a decent side income.
@artauxeo (287)
• Philippines
4 Jan 13
yes. you still have to work your way up to be a reputable and a professional
freelancer.
you will only get less clients if you don't work on your portfolio.
here's what i did before going into a freelancer status:
-took art course while working in an animation studio
-finished college
-build my animation demo reel portfolio for 10 years
-quit animation to study and work for digital art
-build digital art portfolio for 4 years
-quit digital art studio to become a freelancer
-build my online reputation and art gallery for the world to see
-got a lot of job offers
-and now managing my own art studio.
and yes, you really can't earn a lot if you are not yet proficient enough to work against the best freelancers around the world.
@waleeds (126)
•
5 Jan 13
thanks a lot Dorannmwin for stopping by and commenting...actually I like your opinion regarding online income. that's true! you can't decide today regarding which income should be your only source. one of the reasons is that in case you fail to make decent income from online or you get stuck with online you get demotivated; as a result you leave at once. You're also right, once you build your strong portfolio you can make your way to the online income otherwise not. It means that it takes time you to settle and build your reputation in the internet which of course can't be done overnight.i can take online income as my only source since i have no other income..in short i have nothing to lose.
thanks again for commenting.
@ladynetz (968)
• Canada
4 Jan 13
I think that you can once you know your niche and you get to trusted payers. I tried few years ago to make an online living and did not go well for me. maybe up to $100 a month, but that's it. reading others responses, make me think that probably there are good places out there, I just did not find them. I would be very grateful for someone to direct me to good sites as I would LOVE to be able to make a living from home, in my own time, having no bosses over me, spying every movement, or being grumpy and me having to put up with them.
@waleeds (126)
•
11 Jan 13
that's right lady if you limit your writings to few niches then probably you can produce quality work in your writings while building a strong portfolio. As you asked about any earning website, i must say that i have not found any trustworthy and simple site which can allow you to make handsome money OTHER THAN oDESK. i began my writing career from oDesk and believe me that was my wonderful starting point. Since i was pretty new to the field therefore, it took me couple of months to establish myself as a better, if not a good writer. i completed 10 jobs in oDesk successfully. you can start writing in oDesk without any hesitation whatsoever. If you feel any kind of difficulty in getting your (first) job which is often troublesome, feel free to contact me as i have two-years-experience in oDesk. thanks for the comment.
@nykalex88 (243)
• Philippines
5 Jan 13
Good day to you! Yes it is possible and it already happened so many times in so many person in the world today. I have a customer who earns $7 per hour at odesk plus she have separate earnings from her another task. She barely earn 20-30 dollars a day. And imagine, she is still in college. I imagined if she will do it in full time. She will be earning more from it.
@waleeds (126)
•
11 Jan 13
That's right, oDesk is one of the most credible platforms where many freelancers are engaged. I started my online career from oDesk when one of my friends told me about this site. initially it was difficult for me to take a single job but as the time proceeds and as i got rejected from jobs, i learnt quickly as to what are those essential things required to take a job. thank you very much for your comment.
@ccmacarayan (188)
• Philippines
5 Jan 13
I guess the real question is what kind of lifestyle you wish to lead? If you're already doing well writing freelance I'd say dive in and go for it! Not many people succeed in making a living out of writing. Talent and opportunity doesn't always hook up. Persistence and love of writing make for a successful writer. Good luck brother!
@waleeds (126)
•
11 Jan 13
Agreed! if we have been endowed by this talent then we are responsible for it since there are only a few people in the world who are blessed with these talents. Besides, as you know that global economy is failing to provide any good job opportunities for young students, people are shifting towards more non-traditional way of doing jobs such as earning from home. we all must be thankful to God that He bestows us with the great writing or other technical skill that we can survive on our own. thanks for coming Bro.
@Mystars (57)
•
4 Jan 13
I think it is not better than an office job. Because frequently you don't have to use your mind continuously in offices. on net you have to open wide your mind and have to sit in a separate and silent room.While in office you will meet a lot of people, friends, and others. You will not get bored or disappointed by any type of scam.
@artauxeo (287)
• Philippines
4 Jan 13
it's better to be a freelancer than be exploited with those big companies.
specially those employers who are corrupt.
they don't pay you enough for the hard work that you do nowadays.
doing the same office works every now and then is very boring.
you should at least be capable of doing lots of tasks so you can vary
your job and not be bored about it. and you can explore more if you are not bound to any contract.
people in japan today prefer to work as freelancers, rather than
being stuck in one job for the rest of your life.
i myself prefer to be a freelancer too.
i enjoy it more.
@waleeds (126)
•
5 Jan 13
thank you very much mystars for stopping by. although i don't agree but i do respect your opinion in that you don't need to put your mind all the time in an ordinary office job which is of course required in freelancing. you're right that sitting in front of a computer may be a boring activity at times for you don't often meet friends but virtually only.but i still would take freelancing as my job as compared to the ordinary desk job...thanks again.
@artauxeo (287)
• Philippines
4 Jan 13
i don't know about being a writer, but i'm currently working as
a freelance artist. i intentionally quit my job before as an animator and
illustrator so i could focus more on my self, and to be a full time freelancer.
it really pays off to become free. no employer or boss to deduct your hard earn money. and i can go play with my friends and my daughter anytime i want.
i don't worry too much right now because i do get a lot of work invites everyday.
i even share those works to three of my assistant so they could earn too.
i hope you all the luck man.
@waleeds (126)
•
5 Jan 13
thank you so much artauxeo for commenting. its hard to earn money as a writer but i guess if you have some specialized technical skill such as your own, you're likely to make a decent money online. i agree being a freelancer frees you from many things and you don't need to answer to any senior as you have no boss in freelancing. i really like your thinking that you don't worry too much about daily work.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
4 Jan 13
Many claim they earn well off the net. I work very hard on the net and earn 75.00-100.00 per month only. Id sure like to know how to earn more. Have a great day there. Im maria... nice to meet you here..
@waleeds (126)
•
5 Jan 13
That's right, unless i do not offer anything new to people online, it is unlikely that i would be able to make a decent money from writing online. this is a universal truth that earning money is not easy these days whether you're going online or offline. thanks a lot for commenting!!
